Commun ty Matters Newton Presbyterian Manor
August 2016
PMMA rebalances portfolio with sale of Kansas City campus In the more than six and a half decades Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America has provided care for and advocated for the aging in Kansas and Missouri, the senior retirement landscape has changed dramatically. PMMA remains committed to our mission of providing quality senior services guided by Christian values and to meeting the ever-changing needs of today’s seniors. Seniors want a full continuum of care, with an emphasis on active living and wellness. Out of this demand, the Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) model was born. This model provides for a large independent living level with smaller levels of assisted living and health care/ skilled nursing. During the past two decades, PMMA has been slowly moving its system toward the CCRC model. Even though we have made significant strides, our system still remains imbalanced in the world of CCRC’s. SALE, continued on page 2
Back to school: School brings Dana Johnson rich memories It’s the time of year when students get shiny new supplies and are secretly relieved that summer is coming to a close. It’s back to school season, and for teachers like Dana Johnson, it’s one of the happiest times of year. Dana taught art for 35 years, retiring in 1986. Recently, he was moved to write a poem, not about going back to school, but about the end of the school year and the melancholy it evokes in an instructor who truly loves his work. “The hallways and galleries are lifeless echo chambers,” it begins. He had just written it when he saw our request for back-to-school reminiscences for the August issue of Community Matters. Teaching art is more personal than teaching other subjects, Dana said. Instead of big lecture halls, there are usually just a handful of students in JOHNSON, continued on page 2