Manor of the Plains Community Matters April 2015

Commun ty Matters Manor of the Plains

April 2015

PMMA observes its Founders Day Employees at Manor of the Plains will observe the founding of Presbyterian Manors of MidAmerica this month as the company celebrates 66 years of providing quality senior services guided by Christian values in Kansas and Missouri.

Each Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America campus will have its own celebration with residents and employees during April, acknowledging the importance of making life “the way you want to live.”

“Many of our employees view what they do as a calling, not just a job,” said Bruce Shogren, president and CEO. “Our dedicated employees make it possible for us to sustain PMMA’s mission, which directly impacts the wonderful care our 2,400 residents receive every day.”

Manor of the Plains will observe Founder’s Day at 2 p.m. on April 20.

Presbyterian Manors of MidAmerica’s roots go back to 1947.

Alice Kalb, a widow from central Kansas, appealed to a Presbyterian Church organization to establish a home for seniors. Her vision became the first Presbyterian Manor community in Newton, Kan., and inspired others to do even more.

FOUNDERS, continued on page 2

Keys to history

Remembering Vernon Zollars with sheet music Connie Ross couldn’t bear to see old sheet music thrown away — especially music that had been used by beloved Dodge City Community College instructor Vernon Zollars.

So Ross, a retired Dodge City schools music teacher, retrieved boxes and boxes of music, cassette tapes and other memorabilia from the college’s vocal music department, where Zollars taught from 1946 until his retirement in 1985. He later moved to Manor of the Plains, and he passed away in 2010 at the age of 90.

“There’s a lot of history there that I didn’t want to lose. Every piece of music has his handwritten signature on it,” Ross said. “I didn’t think it needed to be in the trash or recycled.”

Ross pulled out material that she thought would be meaningful to Manor of the Plains residents and had it fashioned into a shadow box, which was installed in February next to the piano in the community room. It includes: KEYS, continued on page 2

FOUNDERS, continued from page 1

Today PMMA remains true to the spirit of Alice’s vision, providing quality senior services guided by Christian values.

For more information about Founders Day at Manor of the Plains, contact Kurt Lampe, marketing director at klampe@ pmma.org.

KEYS continued from page 1

Community Matters is published monthly for residents and friends of Manor of the Plains by Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America, Inc., a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Learn more at PresbyterianManors.org.

Jerry Korbe, executive director Kurt Lampe, marketing director Lisa Montoya, activities director Jacque Soltero, health care activities director To submit or suggest articles for this publication, contact Kurt at klampe@pmma.org.

Telephone: 620-225-1928 Fax: 620-225-3982 Address: 200 Campus Dr., Dodge City, KS 67801-2760

Our mission: We provide quality senior services guided by Christian values.

ManorofthePlains.org

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Community Matters April 2015

• Sheet music bearing the stamps of former local music stores, including Eckles Department Store. “I knew that generation would remember those stores,” Ross said.

• Popular music from Zollars’ era and classical sheet music from Chopin, Beethoven and Handel • Cassette tapes of piano music and 8-track tapes of musicals • Three musical scores in Zollars’ own handwriting, placed above his portrait Ross also set aside a separate collection for an exhibit at the Kansas Teachers’ Hall of Fame in Dodge City.

Like many other local music teachers, Ross often brought her young students to perform with Manor of the Plains’ Steinway grand piano. The Dodge City Piano Teachers League purchased the piano just over 12 years ago, in

March 2003. But they housed it at Manor of the Plains, creating a real community resource and a great opportunity for intergenerational activities.

Ross didn’t know Zollars personally, but she said everyone knew who he was. “I’d see him there sitting right on the front row” whenever she brought a class to sing.

The piano teachers’ league has dissolved, leaving a fund for the piano’s care at Manor of the Plains, said Kurt Lampe, marketing director. The piano has become a centerpiece of life at the campus, Lampe said, and they’ll always be grateful to the teachers for leaving it in their care.

Ross said Zollars’ legacy lives on at the college, too. A new instructor recently revived the college’s music festival, and students came to Manor of the Plains to play and sing with the piano. “I hope they noticed the box and read about the person he was,” she said.

Mardi Gras parade brings lots of laughter to residents

Independent living resident Joan Ward participates in the Mardi Gras Parade.

Independent living resident Shirley Ballard shows off her Mardi Gras style.

Coming Up in Community Matters Community Matters will focus on gardening and outdoor life in an upcoming issue.

Are you an avid gardener, or were you when you were more physically able? What did you love about gardening? What did you grow?

Does your campus have a raised bed garden that you help with now? What do you enjoy about being outdoors?

If you have a story to tell, contact marketing director Kurt Lampe to share your idea.Your story may be selected for the next issue of your community newsletter.

Receive our newsletter by email. Visit ManorOfThePlains.org and ask to have the newsletter delivered to your inbox. It’s that easy!

Manor of the Plains

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Manor of the Plains 200 Campus Dr. Dodge City, KS 67801-2760 Return Service Requested

Quick study: The latest on vitamin D and dementia

By Laine Bergeson

Older adults who are severely vitamin D deficient have a 122 percent increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s, according to a new study published in the journal Neurology.

The research team, led by Dr. David Llewellyn at the University of Exeter Medical School, anticipated a link between vitamin D deficiency and cognitive problems (previous research has shown a general correlation). But they were surprised by how high the risk was.

“The association was twice as strong as we anticipated,” Llewellyn says.

Adults moderately deficient in vitamin D had a 53 percent increased risk of developing dementia of any kind. Those who were severely deficient had 125 percent increased risk.

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Community Matters April 2015

The large-scale study looked at 1,658 adults older than 65 over the course of six years.

Clinicians have stopped short of saying that supplementing with vitamin D will reduce the risk of dementia — more studies need to be done, they add — but with one billion people worldwide estimated to be low in vitamin D and approximately 44 million suffering from dementia, this is a significant, and possibly encouraging, finding.

3 Ways To Get Your D Low levels of vitamin D have been linked to a wide variety of health problems, from cancer to decreased immune function to depression. To maintain optimal vitamin D levels: 1. Let the sun shine in. When exposed to sunlight, our skin converts the rays into vitamin D.

2. Find other healthy sources.

Vitamin D is found in certain oily fish, mushrooms and supplements.

3. Get tested.You can ask your doctor for a vitamin D test or order one through a direct-to-consumer service such as Direct Labs. Testing may be especially important.

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