Newton Community Matters January 2021

Newton Presbyterian Manor

JANUARY 2021

Presbyterian Manor achieves state survey excellence amidst COVID-19 Newton Presbyterian Manor earned a zero-deficiency survey for a focused infection control survey in the health care center on Dec. 8. The survey was conducted by the Kansas Department of Aging and Disability Services (KDADS) on behalf of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

Ruby and Bill Kleymann and Eleanore Myers enjoy playing a game with others back when social distancing didn’t require new ways of connecting.

Thanks to COVID, neighbors find themselves closer, more connected than ever before Like many of us, the outbreak of COVID-19 and the stay-at-home orders and social distancing requirements that followed had an unforeseen effect on Eleanore Myers. The Garden Apartments resident and former community assembly representative found herself feeling disconnected and stuck in a mindset she had never experienced before.

CMS routinely sends surveyors to skilled nursing centers during an outbreak to assess the facility’s infection control practices.

Newton Presbyterian Manor’s prior survey was completed Nov. 17 with no deficiencies. The senior living community also had zero deficiencies during a focused infection control survey of the health care center in August and assisted living in July, making this the fourth zero deficiency survey in a row.

“After about a month, I started crying. I didn’t mean to, I sat down for devotions, and I would just cry,” said Eleanore. “I’ve never had trouble with depression, and I didn’t even realize what was happening. Isolation is depressing and for the first time in my life, I can say I know despair.”

“A zero deficiency survey is always something to celebrate, because it is difficult to achieve,” said Marc Kessinger, executive director. “To have four zero deficiency surveys in the middle of fighting this pandemic really affirms how hard

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Surveys conducted by Pinnacle Quality Insight

As part of Newton Presbyterian Manor’s ongoing customer service initiative, residents and their representatives are randomly selected to participate in telephone satisfaction surveys conducted by Pinnacle Quality Insight.

The graphic above highlights some of the survey results. All scores are given on a 5-point scale, with 5 being the highest score and 1 the

lowest score.

Between October 2019 and September 2020, Newton Presbyterian Manor residents and their families gave the community high scores in quality of food, cleanliness and demonstrating dignity and respect. Residents and their families also indicated a high willingness to recommend the community to others.

Community Matters 316-283-5400 ◆ Fax: 316-284-5900 1200 E. Seventh Newton, KS 67114-2820 NewtonPresbyterianManor.org

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COMMUNITY MATTERS | January 2021

We greatly value the opinions of our residents and their representatives about the care and services we provide, and we encourage them to participate honestly when contacted by Pinnacle Quality Insight.

All state and federal confidentiality laws are met in Pinnacle’s service. ◆

is published monthly for residents and friends of Newton Presbyterian Manor

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

To submit or suggest articles: ndickinson@PMMA.org Marc Kessinger, executive director Noelle Dickinson, marketing director

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

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Protecting your brain health during the pandemic

By Paula Spencer Scott for Next Avenue

All those precautions you’re taking to stay safe during the pandemic?

Ironically, they might be putting your brain’s health at risk.

The answer? Flip COVID-19’s challenges to opportunities, says neuroscientist Sandra Bond Chapman, founder of the Center for BrainHealth at the University of Texas at Dallas. “For everything you do, ask, ‘What is this adding to my life?’ Are you doing crosswords just to pass the time and not be alone? Or are you doing different kinds of activities to stretch your mind and add meaning and purpose?”

in your activities —as well as “mix it up” in terms of different types of mental engagement.

Academy of American Poet’s Poema-Day. Switching up literary styles (or listening to an audiobook for a change) engages different kinds of thinking skills.

Prioritizing brain self-care pays off in the long-term, say experts.

She suggests making a pandemic bucket list. What do you want to do within the current limits? What skills could you develop?

“We need to be even more deliberate and planful now,” says Cynthia Green, president of Total Brain Health, a wellness programming provider. That means looking for ways to “level up”— increasing the degree of challenge

Did you join the COVID-19 jigsaw craze? Though these puzzles are cognitively beneficial, it’s important to vary the types of thinking skills that you engage.

Make a conscious effort to reframe negatives in a more positive light; it actually boosts the feeling of happiness, research shows. What could be the silver lining in your favorite shirt ruined in the wash?

Of a canceled visit?

Addicted to romance novels?

Switch to nonfiction. Or try the

It’s within your power to change your perception of challenges. ◆

SURVEY - continued from page 1

CMS licenses skilled nursing facilities. These regulations are designed to ensure a standard of care is met. By meeting these standards, senior living communities are able to renew their licenses and continue to provide care.

prevent disease at the community.

Communities are assessed on staff and resident education on hand hygiene and coughing/sneezing etiquette, cleaning, screening of employees and residents, effective transmission-based precautions, proper use/discarding of personal protective equipment and signage at entrances and resident rooms.

this team has worked to keep our residents and each other safe every day. You can do everything right, and still the virus can find a way into your community. But you must continue to fight, no matter what.

That’s what we’re doing at Newton Presbyterian Manor.”

Senior living communities are surveyed annually by their licensing agency for compliance of regulations established by CMS.

The focused infection control surveys hone in on a skilled nursing facility’s adherence to Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and CMS guidance for infection control practices to

It also examines the facility’s policies and emergency preparedness related to a pandemic or outbreak. ◆

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Angel Tree We thank the Presbyterian Manor community for their support of our annual Angel Tree campaign this Christmas season.

A bell was hung on the dining room tree for each gift given in honor or memory of a loved one for this special Good Samaritan Fund appeal. ◆

Bravo of the Month: Tim Clark Our Bravo of the Month goes to Tim Clark, life enrichment assistant in Utz House. CNA Kursty Burdick wrote, “Thank you for stepping up and helping me today. You are a great friend and coworker. I am thankful for you.”

In addition, Rosa Witterick said in her Bravo recognition of Tim: “Thank you for helping out on the floor and with the residents during this time. Thank you very much.” ◆

Presbyterian Manor receives technology to connect residents The Women’s Community Foundation recently awarded Newton Presbyterian Manor $1,519 to purchase additional iPads and headphones for our residents to stay connected with their friends and families this holiday season.

We extend a special thanks to the Women’s Community Foundation for partnering with us to make a difference in the lives of the seniors we serve. ◆

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Above: A thank you note for the Women’s Community Foundation for the generous gift of iPads.

Below: Clara Koehn meets a new great-grandson via FaceTime.

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Fortunately for Eleanore, a call from a friend gave her a new perspective on the situation and the initiative to do something about it.

As a result, Eleanore began organizing socially distanced meetups at the library where the only rule was that you could talk about anything but the virus and the impact it was having on your daily life.

“We had four people come the first day, and we talked about whether we grew up in the city or the country, where we were in the order of our families—first born, middle child or youngest—and what was outstanding about our childhood. We had the best time!” said Eleanore. “We were there from 2:30 to 4 every day, Monday through Saturday and, eventually, word got around.”

Everyone was welcomed to attend, and of those who did, some contributed more than others, but Eleanore believes that the meet-ups had a positive effect on everyone’s morale and overall outlook on life.

“I can look back and those who came have come through this really well. It has really made a difference in people’s lives—we are made to be with people,” said Eleanore.

Another way the residents of Garden Apartments came together during the early days of the pandemic was through weekly chapel services led by residents, and retired ministers, Ruby and Bill Kleymann.

The tricky part of conducting the services was finding a way to accommodate everyone who wanted to attend while not

The Newton Presbyterian Manor chapel provides a sense of connection for residents during the pandemic.

jeopardizing the health of the residents.

“We had to have the correct procedures in place to keep everyone safe—wearing a mask the whole time we were in chapel, no singing and lots of hand sanitizer,” said Ruby.

Even though not everyone who attended the services was of the same faith, Eleanore believes all of those who came to worship were empowered by each other’s company.

“Somehow worshiping God together—each in our own way— was very comforting and gave us hope,” said Eleanore.

For Ruby, the services simply provided a sense of normalcy in a very un-normal time.

“Everyone appreciates being able to worship,” said Ruby.

Between the meet-ups and the

chapel services, many believe that the residents of Garden Apartments have a better understanding of one another and have actually grown closer in a time when others have lost touch.

“I think we care about each other differently than we did before and that’s because we know each other better. I think people are less critical of their neighbors now,” said Ruby. ◆

“Thanks to the generosity of residents and their families, the Resident Council has been able to present each employee with a brand new $100 bill as a Christmas gift. They, and you, are appreciated!

—June Thomsen, Resident Council Chair

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1200 E. Seventh Newton, KS 67114-2862 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

COVID-19 updates continue

Get the latest updates on visitation status, ongoing

safety measures and PMMA’s response to COVID-19 on your community website, newtonpresbyterianmanor.org/ covid-19. Visitation status is updated weekly on Mondays for the week ending the following Sunday, and may be updated as needed in between Mondays as COVID status changes.

You can also send greetings to residents or family members with the Art is Ageless® card collection available on our COVID-19 update page. Look for the dark blue button in the right-hand column under visitation status. Email the card to your campus contact for delivery, or send directly to your loved one via their email address. ◆

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COMMUNITY MATTERS | January 2021