Rolla Community Matters November 2015

Commun ty Matters Rolla Presbyterian Manor

November 2015

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.

Music & Memory Program puts favorite songs in the palms of residents’ hands When activities assistant Joy Parker was applying for a grant to bring the Music & Memory program to Rolla Presbyterian Manor, she asked staff members and residents how it might make a difference.

One health care resident answered: “Music is my life, and I miss that part.”

That perfectly sums up the purpose of Music & Memory. In the documentary film about the project, “Alive Inside,” founder Dan Cohen says aging can erase a person’s identity, but music can help restore it (watch the movie online at www.aliveinside.us).

The project promotes the use of digital music players with individualized playlists to improve the quality of life for elders. This year, 40 Missouri care provider organizations received the Music & Memory certification program at no cost, thanks to grants from The Missouri Coalition Celebrating Care Continuum Change, or MC5. Rolla Presbyterian Manor is one of them.

Joy knew that music is therapeutic for people with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. She just wasn’t sure how to go about using MUSIC continued on page 4

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Thanksgiving: God’s Way “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” I Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV).

By Allen Teal, Rolla Presbyterian Manor chaplain

The turkey is cooked, the family has gathered, and the table is filled with food. On Thanksgiving Day as families look around at the bounty that the Lord has provided, giving thanks is easy. Following the Bible’s directive to “give thanks in all circumstances” can be hard. Giving thanks when it is tough is a test of our faith in God. If we really trust Him, it means that even the bad things that come our way serve a positive purpose.

The present can get in the way of being thankful.

In John 11:21, Martha was hurting from watching her brother, Lazarus, die. When she saw Jesus, her response was, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” We can understand Martha. She was on the verge of witnessing one of the greatest miracles in history, but her heart was broken because she could not see what was about to happen.

If she had understood this, what a difference it would have made in her outlook. God has a way of using a negative and turning it into good news when we look backward at it.

Problems can loom large when considered independently of God’s promises.

Community Matters

is published monthly for residents and friends of Rolla Presbyterian Manor by Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America Inc., a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Learn more at PresbyterianManors.org Ann Caudill, executive director Joelle Freeland, marketing director To submit or suggest articles for this publication, contact Joelle Freeland at lfreeland@pmma.org.

Telephone: 573-364-7336 Fax: 573-364-7336 Address: 1200 Homelife Plaza, Rolla, MO 65401-2595 Our mission: We provide quality senior services guided by Christian values.

RollaPresbyterianManor.org

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Community Matters November 2015

Paul, the apostle, was shipwrecked, imprisoned, hunted, impoverished, and beaten. His response to this in Romans 8:18 is a testimony to trusting God. “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” Sometimes, it is a matter of perspective. When we set our problems in opposition to God’s promises and blessings, the problems pale. The “big picture” matters.

Luke 10:20 “…rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

Finally, being thankful does not depend on earthly things. Our candidacy for heaven is the true source of thanksgiving. God has provided temporary blessings only to prepare us for the eternal ones in our future. We can be happy about the things we have received on earth. However, true thanksgiving comes from the realization that the greatest blessings in life are waiting for us in heaven.

Everyone has a story to tell The January issue of Community Matters will focus on new beginnings. Do you have a story about a time you decided to start anew? What happened? How did that alter the course of your life? Contact Marketing Director Joelle Freeland, and your story may be selected to appear in an upcoming Community Matters.

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1200 Homelife Plaza | Rolla, MO 65401 RollaPresbyterianManor.org Rolla Presbyterian Manor

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Rolla Presbyterian Manor 1200 Homelife Plaza Rolla, MO 65401-2595 Return Service Requested

MUSIC, continued from page 1

it. The Music & Memory training showed her the importance of learning each person’s favorite artists and songs. Then, caregivers can put on individualized music for residents as they see fit, both for calming and for stimulation.

“If you just ask what kind of music they like, they may not be able to answer you,” she said. “But if you show them a list, they can look at it and say, ‘I think I like Glenn Miller.’”

Joy and other staff members have been working with residents, their

friends, and family members to build their playlists and add songs to their iPods, so they can listen with headphones. And everyone is different. Joy said one man’s list runs from Johnny Cash and Conway Twitty to Elton John and Billy Joel—plus a few hymns.

It takes time to do the resident assessments and download their chosen songs, so Joy is always looking for volunteers.

College students have been helping, and a pair of sororities at the Missouri University of Science and

To help with tasks for Music & Memory or to donate iTunes cards or new and gently used iPods, contact Joy Parker at jparker@pmma.org or 573-364-7336.

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Community Matters November 2015

Technology recently held a car wash that raised more than $300 to buy iTunes cards.

Today, younger people take for granted how easy it is to download and listen to any music they like.

But for older generations, years may have passed since they heard “their” music.

When groups come to sing for residents, Joy said, the music can evoke a strong emotional response.

“Sometimes when they sing some of the softer songs, you might see a resident who doesn’t talk starting to cry,” Joy said. “It doesn’t mean they’re upset. Maybe that song holds some memory that they have deep inside. Maybe that’s the song from their wedding.”

And just like that, they’re alive inside again.