Commun ty Matters Parsons Presbyterian Manor
Sending ‘Angels’ to the Good Samaritan Program
Special angels will soon be adorning Christmas trees and holiday displays at every Presbyterian Manors of MidAmerica (PMMA) senior living community.
The “angels” are paper ornaments that will arrive throughout the holiday season along with gifts to the annual Christmas Angel Appeal, which raises funds for the Good Samaritan Program for Benevolent Care. Donors who make gifts are asked to return paper Angel ornaments along with their gifts. The ornaments pay tribute to donors’ family members or friends and are displayed at PMMA communities designated by the donors. During the past two years, donors to the angel appeals have given more than $90,000 to the Good Samaritan Program. The program assists PMMA residents who have out-lived their financial resources through no fault of their own. Since PMMA began 66 years ago, no residents have been asked to leave because they exhausted their financial resources. If you would like to participate in the Angel Appeal, please email Development@pmma.org or call 800-336-8511.
How to visit your aging parent
November 2015
the right way
By Emily Gurnon for Next Avenue Katherine Arnup, a retired professor at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, and now life coach, got an education in caregiving when her sister and parents got sick. She later became a hospice volunteer. Thinkstock photo She drew on those experiences for her latest book, “I Don’t Have Time for This!: A Compassionate Guide to Caring forYour Aging Parents andYourself.” The following is excerpted from one of the book’s chapters. Settle in, look around
When you arrive to visit your parents, take the time to get settled. It might help to take a few deep intentional breaths before you open the door to their house or apartment. Once inside, resist the urge to start blathering. Listen. Observe. How does the house or apartment look? What changes do you notice since your last visit? Is your father wearing clothes with obvious stains? What might this mean? Is it typical? Might it be a hazard? Not your house
Because of our discomfort, we often fall into the habit of cleaning up or throwing things out that we consider to be garbage. These actions are likely to cause unnecessary frustration. They know where everything is now, and you’re only disrupting that order. Silence is OK
It’s fine if you both sit in silence for a while. Nothing bad will happen. Chances are your parent enjoys just having you there, even if he doesn’t seem to notice or drops off to sleep. (Yes, this used to drive me wild!) Bring a book to read or a pad of paper to make lists. Stop multi-tasking
Our brains, it seems, are not equipped to do more than one thing at a time, especially if focus is required. The good news is that being with aging parents demands that we slow down.
the right way continued on page 3