Manor of the Plains Community Matters March 2017

Commun ty Matters Manor of the Plains

March 2017

Stop by annual Art is Ageless® exhibit this month Manor of the Plains will display artwork by area seniors from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 10-16. There will be a reception with the artists from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 16.

For more information, contact Kurt Lampe at 620-338-0240 or klampe@pmma.org.

Learning to listen Social worker Joy Wiggins makes sure residents’ voices are heard When Joy Wiggins first came to work at Manor of the Plains in activities, her grandmother was a resident. Of course, Joy wanted her to get involved in everything. Joy also thought she knew best what her grandmother needed, so she wrote things into her care plan without asking first.

Joy’s effort to “take care” of her grandmother backfired.

“I thought I was anticipating her needs. But she said, ‘You don’t think for me.

I’m still the boss.’ That was very eye-opening to me,” Joy said. “I thought I WIGGINS, continued on page 2

WIGGINS, continued from page 1

could write her care plan blindfolded.

People change, and you have to respect that.”

That experience stayed with Joy once she moved from activities into social work. She has been director of social services at Manor of the Plains for 12 years.

March is National Social Work Month — “an opportunity for social workers across the country to turn the spotlight on the profession and highlight the important contributions they make to society,” according to the National Association of Social Workers. But not everyone understands the role of the social

Community Matters

worker in long-term care.

Joy’s job is to be the residents’ advocate and ensure that their needs are met, and their wishes are honored. She also helps families navigate the transition to long term care.

lawyers, they were in the military,” Joy said. “I get personally involved and get to share their profiles with others.

It gives our CNA staff something to talk about when they provide care.”

Our residents get to know Joy quite well, too. They know she’ll be wearing Jayhawk or Royals gear “Nursing talks in a different language when her teams are playing. They’ve sometimes, and families don’t always watched Joy’s granddaughter, Sophia, understand their terminology. So I’m grow from a baby to a little girl, kind of that liaison, to put things in napping next to Granny in her office layman’s terms,” Joy said. or joining in on exercise classes. And Joy also evaluates residents for signs of in the summer, they enjoy dispatches from Joy in her happy place, with cognitive changes or depression, and she updates care plans to keep current family at Table Rock Lake. with residents’ changing needs or Her dedication is appreciated desires. One of her favorite tasks is throughout our community. “Joy interviewing residents to write their would move a mountain to help you social histories. if that was the task,” said Marketing “They’re so important because you learn about their lives — not only as a youngster, but how they grew up, and what their interests were then and now. They’re teachers, they’re

Director Kurt Lampe.

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, activity director Jacque Soltero, health care activity 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 March 2017

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Fighting ageism and unfair treatment in health care

By Terry Fulmer for Next Avenue

Everyone deserves equal treatment — in the broader society and in our health care system. Today, older people are often not treated fairly and do not get the care they deserve, simply because of their age. While one of our great success stories in the 20th century was the stunning gain in human longevity, recent research from The Frameworks Institute, funded by my group, The John A. Hartford Foundation, and others, has found that the majority of us still don’t recognize ageism or its deleterious effects. They call it a “cognitive hole,” a mental blind spot.

underdetection of elder mistreatment, when, for example, clinicians ascribe bruises to anticoagulants instead of making an effort to ensure there is no family violence. Another — the assumption that all older people become confused and forgetful, when, instead, a brain tumor may be the real problem.

These negative and inaccurate views of older people consistently As 10,000 of us turn 65 each day, it hamper our ability to recruit is critical that we shine a bright light nurses, doctors and other health professionals into geriatrics and on this insidious prejudice. It is a matter of simple fairness and justice. gerontology. The result: our health care workforce often lacks the It is a way to honor the priceless knowledge and experience to treat and irreplaceable contributions a group of patients who make up that older adults make every day 35 percent of all hospital stays and to enrich our society and culture.

27 percent of all doctor’s office And for those of us at The John A. Hartford Foundation, it is critical to visits. And though nearly four in 10 older people take five or more the broader effort to improve care medications, clinical trials generally for older people. exclude older patients with multiple The dangers of ageism chronic conditions, so we may misjudge drugs’ efficacy (and even Research during the last two decades has implicated ageism in the dangers) with this important patient under- and over-treatment of older population. patients, as too many clinicians Even our own views of aging can mischaracterize organic medical have important influences on conditions as normal aging. Others health and well-being. Researchers ignore pain, anxiety and depression note people with more positive as unavoidable as we get older or expectations about aging live unconsciously view older people as longer, experience less stress less worthy or less important than and have a greater willingness to their younger counterparts. exercise and eat better. Conversely, A classic example is the negative perceptions of aging Like us on Facebook

— inadvertently supported by unhelpful and negative stereotypes in popular culture and the media — can reinforce self-defeating behaviors that make us more vulnerable to disease and disability.

Developing an age-friendly health system During the last century, our health care system has consistently demonstrated an impressive ability to adapt and to find innovative solutions to challenging problems.

Looking ahead, we need an intensive effort to create an age-friendly health system where all older adults and their families feel that the care they receive is the care they want and that they feel respected in the process.

We need health care suffused with aging expertise, devoted to person- and family-centered care, and able to provide coordinated services in the hospital, clinic and the community. This work is neither simple nor easy. Raising awareness about, and addressing, ageism throughout the health care system — and throughout our society — will be critical to delivering the care all of us want and deserve as we get older.

Manor of the Plains

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

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Fitness routines Everyone knows fitness is important. How have you taken steps to be fit? What’s your regular fitness routine? If you’ve started a fitness routine late in life, what advice would you have for others? How do you think you benefit from regular exercise?

If you’ve got a story to share, contact Marketing Director Kurt Lampe and your story could be featured in an upcoming edition of Community Matters.

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Community Matters March 2017

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