Lawrence Community Matters May 2020

Lawrence Presbyterian Manor

MAY 2020

Residents find safe way to join group exercise class Curtis Jones calls conference call BINGO.

BINGO for the win!

Life around Presbyterian Manor has been anything but usual during the COVID-19 pandemic. We’re just finding creative ways to stay connected with residents while keeping a safe and healthy distance. And yes, we’re still playing BINGO. It just works a little different.

“We set up a conference call meeting. Each time we run BINGO we set up a bridge line with a unique phone number and sign on credentials.

We print off a handout with the appropriate phone number and sign on credentials. We distributed BINGO cards to the resident so each game they play with the same card. They call into the conference call and we start playing BINGO. When somebody wins, they yell out BINGO and we confirm their numbers. Each game has a winner and we deliver gifts and treats as prizes to the game winners,” said Curtis Jones, sales and marketing director.

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Technology has certainly been our friend in the last few weeks. In order to keep our residents active and healthy, we’ve conducted a group exercise class via Zoom conference call. And while we all look forward to when we can exercise in person together again soon, this alternative has grown in popularity.

To participate, staff set up a conference with Zoom, a website that offers the video conference call service. They email residents an invitation to join the Zoom conference call scheduled for a particular date and time. Then, residents join via the link they receive.

“The response has been a little

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Lawrence Presbyterian Manor | A PMMA COMMUNITY

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Jo Doles enjoys playing BINGO by conference call.

Mary Alice Barr finds conference call BINGO entertaining.

Resident participation has been growing ever since the game started.

to get over their anxiety with conference calls, but after they do it once and see how easy it is, their anxiety goes down and they get more comfortable,” said Curtis.

“It started off slow, but we are starting to get more people playing.

It takes a little bit for the residents

BINGO by conference call is taking place a couple of times a week—not as often as staff would like, but this

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gives everyone enough time to get set-up for the next game.

“We want to give residents plenty of time to get the call information, so we need a little extra time in between BINGO sessions,” said Curtis. ◆

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LAWRENCE Presbyterian Manor 785-841-4262 ◆ Fax: 785-841-0923 1429 Kasold Dr. Lawrence, KS 66049-3425 LawrencePresbyterianManor.org

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COMMUNITY MATTERS | May 2020

Community Matters

is published monthly for residents and friends of Lawrence Presbyterian Manor

by Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America, Inc., a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organizaton.

To submit or suggest articles: cjones@PMMA.org.

Christie Patrick, executive director Curtis Jones, independent living marketing director

OUR MISSION: To provide quality senior services guided by Christian values.

April 15, 2020

Dear Residents and Family,

We continue to “Stay the Course” despite the challenges of restricting all visitors to our PMMA communities. It has been a key prevention measure in the fight against the spread of the COVID-19 virus across the United States. In addition, the CDC guidelines and the emergency “Stay-at-Home” orders for the general public in Kansas and Missouri and the guidance to social distance issued by almost all of the states, has helped our employees to protect those entrusted to our care.

Just last week, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) released revised models that included a strong statement as to what social distancing is doing to decrease the number of expected cases of COVID-19.

The revised projections simply indicate that the policy of social distancing is working to reduce both hospitalizations and deaths, not only in the U.S., but also around the world.

What does this mean for all of the senior living communities in the PMMA system? It means that taking the stance to implement these extreme measures by the PMMA leadership, but one required by CDC guideline, remains the right thing to do to keep all our residents and employees COVID-19 free.

To this point, PMMA has a resident population of approximately 2,400 that are – as of today – COVID-19 free.

In addition, we have had only one non-direct care employee out of almost 2,500 total employees that tested positive for the COVID-19 virus, and appropriate steps were put in place to assure no other employee or resident was affected. It is difficult with these outcomes, to argue with the PMMA System success due to the key prevention measures implemented in March.

I sincerely thank you for your cooperation, patience and grace during this pandemic and please let me end with a personnel experience I had this past Easter weekend.

Most Easter mornings, I usually attend a Sunrise service at my local church. Unfortunately, this opportunity was not available due to the “Stay at Home” orders in Kansas. Therefore, I sat in my driveway, looking at the cloudy morning and listening to a Christian podcast of the readings from all of the gospels of the very first Easter morning. At the end of the podcast, the presenter read the following chorus from the Hymn, “Because He Lives.” The words were very reassuring to me in this very trying time. I hope this speaks to you also.

Because He lives I can face tomorrow Because He lives all fear is gone Because I know He holds the future And life is worth the living just because He lives God’s Blessings, Bruce H. Shogren President/CEO Lawrence Presbyterian Manor | A PMMA COMMUNITY

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LAWRENCE Presbyterian Manor

1429 Kasold Dr. Lawrence, KS 66049-3425 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

Our Mission: to provide quality senior services guided

by Christian values Like us on Facebook to stay updated on news and events.

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slow, but that is mainly because the residents may have technical difficulty getting the video conference call set up on their computer or mobile device. Curtis Jones is available to help residents get set-up who wish to participate.

More residents are getting set up each time we offer the session,” said Linda Fyler, activities director.

Twice a week, Linda leads the residents in stretching exercises that can be done from a chair.

“Right now, the residents are limited on where they can go, so staying active and mobile is more crucial than ever. A sedentary lifestyle can lead to illness, where an active body is a healthy body,” said Linda. ◆

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COMMUNITY MATTERS | May 2020

Video chat connects residents

One way we’re providing entertainment at a safe distance for residents during the COVID-19 pandemic is by setting up video chats with residents and their families. Here, resident Mary Cavin is visiting with her granddaughter and great-grandchildren by video chat.