Salina Community Matters April 2021

Salina Presbyterian Manor

APRIL 2021

2021

Salina Presbyterian Manor Receives 2021 Customer Experience Award from Pinnacle Quality Insight

Perry Hunsley traded his surgeon’s scalpel for a paint brush in his retirement. His late wife, Phyllis, whom he commemorated in a mixed-media piece, inspired him to paint birds, her favorite animal.

Perry’s favorite bird is the owl.

Artist sees similarities between painting, surgery Perry Hunsley never intended to become an artist.

“Art was probably the furthest thing from my mind as I was growing up and going to school,” said the Salina Presbyterian Manor resident. “I never took art classes. I couldn’t draw a straight line.”

Nevertheless, Perry has been a prolific painter for many years. Last month, his work was once again included in Presbyterian Manor’s annual Art is Ageless exhibition.

Perry first experimented with painting in a ceramics class he took with his ARTIST - continued on page 5

Salina Presbyterian Manor is proud to announce that they are the recipient of Pinnacle Quality Insight’s 2021 Customer Experience Award.TM In qualifying for the award for independent living, assisted living and health care, Salina Presbyterian Manor demonstrates a continued dedication to providing best-inclass senior services.

“These awards illustrate our employees’ dedication to our mission to provide quality senior services guided by Christian values,” said Christian Gilbert, executive director. “The awards signify the high regard our residents and their families have for the care they receive at our campus.”

Throughout its 41-year history of serving the community, Salina Presbyterian Manor has placed AWARD - continued on page 6

Salina Presbyterian Manor | A PMMA COMMUNITY

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Employee of the Month: Richard Gordon Congratulations to Richard Gordon, Employee of the Month for March. He has worked for Salina Presbyterian Manor for 14 months as our floor technician.

Richard is married to Lora and has two children: Duston, age 30, and Chris, age 26. He has two grandchildren: Braydee, age 10, and Paxton, age 5.

In his free time, he likes working on cars, trucks and his vintage camper.

When asked what most people would not know about him, Richard said that he finds his happy place in a salvage yard!

Richard listed his goals as living a happy and productive life and spending time with his kids and grandkids. He also likes to spend as much time as possible camping.

We are so thankful to have Richard on our team! Please congratulate him when you see him. ◆

Richard Gordon

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Community Matters 785-825-1366 ◆ Fax: 785-825-6554 2601 E. Crawford Salina, KS 67401-3898 SalinaPresbyterianManor.org

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COMMUNITY MATTERS | April 2021

is published monthly for residents and friends of Salina Presbyterian Manor

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

To submit or suggest articles: cboos@PMMA.org Christian Gilbert, executive director Cathy Boos, sales and marketing director

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

Laughter is good for the soul I was so bored today, I called Jake from State Farm just to have someone to talk to. He asked me what I was wearing!

The world has turned upside down.

Old folks are sneaking out of the house, and their kids are yelling at them to stay indoors!

Does anyone know if we can take showers yet or if we should just

keep washing our hands?!

I hope the weather is good tomorrow for my trip to the backyard. I’m getting real tired of the living room! ◆

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 at communitywebsite.org/ covid-19. Visitation status is updated weekly on Mondays and as needed as our COVID status changes. You can also send a message to any resident with the Art is Ageless® e-greeting cards. Find a link on the COVID-19 update page.

With vaccine distribution, internal restrictions are starting to loosen, allowing health care and assisted living residents to forgo quarantine if they leave the campus for physician appointments and other activities as long as they are not gone longer than 7 midnights. If an absence is longer than 7 days, the resident is required to quarantine and undergo COVID-19 testing. There will be no quarantine requirement for independent living residents who leave the community for an outing. ◆

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April activities update In the year of COVID, it has been hard to plan activities for the next month or (to be honest) the next day with so many frequent changes.

We have managed to spend an entire calendar year doing virtual or socially distanced activities.

• Antique shopping in McPherson

In April, we are so excited to be able to allow more outings and activities, and to fellowship the way we should!

• The Great Plains Theatre in Abilene

I have composed a list of “when we break out of here” outings: • Steak dinner at Longhorn Steakhouse

• An afternoon in downtown Lindsborg • The Wizard of Oz Museum in Wamego • Salina Community Theatre

I would love to hear suggestions from YOU: Where are some places you would like to go? Do you have a favorite entertainer you would like to come perform?

Lastly, I want to thank all of our volunteers we have had over the years at Salina Presbyterian Manor. Our volunteer program has dwindled during the pandemic.

As we are able to start allowing vaccinated volunteers into the building, I am looking to boost that program. If you have any interest in volunteering, please contact me.

Lacey Buhrle, Life Enrichment Director 785-825-1366 extension 1140 or lbuhrle@pmma.org ◆

Birthdays April 2: Kathleen Dalton April 7: Lyla Buehre April 8: Charlene Karnes April 10: Betty Groves April 12: Dianne Ott April 21: Mark Crow April 22: Jean Hamilton April 24: Ken Veltman April 30: Leonard Buehre and Lois Buxton Anniversaries Leonard & Lyla Buehre: April 15, 1956

Dwight and Barbara Smith: April 10, 1974 ◆

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ARTIST - continued from page 1

late wife, Phyllis.

At the suggestion of a friend, he enrolled in art class from Barb Culley at the Salina Senior Center.

He’s been a regular in the class ever since.

“I started cold — I didn’t know anything about painting,” Perry said. “Everything I do, I give Barb credit for, because she told me what to do, then I practiced it on a regular basis in the classroom.”

The Hunsleys moved to Presbyterian Manor in the mid1990s because Phyllis had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, and Perry knew she would eventually require health care.

Phyllis also inspired one of Perry’s most common subjects: birds.

“She was a bird lover and a bird collector. We had a collection of Lenox birds,” Perry said.

“Eventually, I moved onto other animals, but birds were the favorite thing.”

The Hunsleys moved into an independent living townhome, and when Phyllis needed a greater level of care, she transferred to the health care neighborhood, where she lived for nine years before her death.

“I would be by her bedside, and so I would keep myself busy by drawing and painting,” Perry said.

Perry was a surgeon before his retirement, and he sees a lot of similarities between his vocation

and avocation.

“You have to have a foundation, and you have to have in mind what you want to end up with,” he said.

“They really are very similar.”

His contributions to the 2021 Art is Ageless exhibition are paintings he made for Cathy Boos, the sales and marketing director at Presbyterian Manor. One is of the Cathedral of the Plains in Victoria, Kan., and the other is a portrait of Cathy’s father and her dog.

Perry doesn’t sell his paintings, but he does get satisfaction when they find a good home.

“I’m happy if someone would care to have the danged thing on their wall,” he laughed. ◆

PMMA Founder’s Day honors its heroes and 72 years of heritage Employees of Salina Presbyterian Manor will observe the founding of PMMA (Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America) this month as the company salutes its heroes and heritage.

PMMA’s roots go back to 1947.

Alice Kalb, a widow from central Kansas, appealed to a Presbyterian Church organization to establish a home for seniors. Her vision laid the foundation for the first Presbyterian Manor community in Newton, Kan., and inspired others to do even more. Through the many decades, PMMA remained true to the spirit of Alice’s vision, providing

quality senior services guided by Christian values.

Each Founder’s Day, staff members re-commit to live our mission by signing the “WE PROMISE” board that lists the pillars of the mission: respecting that seniors retain their rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; assisting residents with specific needs; providing compassionate service; serving as a trusted resource; and advocating for seniors.

“Our nearly 2,000 employees view what they do as a calling,” said Bruce Shogren, president and CEO. “Our dedicated employees make it

possible for us to sustain PMMA’s mission, as well as its heritage. I believe Alice would be very proud.”

Alice Kalb’s dream has turned into a network of 15 senior living communities and two hospices across Kansas and Missouri. A new senior living community is under development in Colorado Springs.

PMMA remains true to its core and mission: to provide quality senior services guided by Christian values.

For more information about Salina Presbyterian Manor, contact Cathy Boos, marketing director, at 785825-1366 or cboos@pmma.org.

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2601 E. Crawford Salina, KS 67401-3898 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

AWARD - continued from page 1

a strong emphasis on ensuring that the individual needs of every resident are met. Over the course of 2020, a sampling of Salina Presbyterian Manor’s residents and their families have participated in monthly telephone interviews that include open-ended questions, as well as the opportunity to rate Salina Presbyterian Manor in specific categories.

Every month, Salina Presbyterian Manor has reviewed its real-time

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survey results to gain a better understanding of the residents’ needs and make improvements when necessary.

By qualifying for the Pinnacle Customer Experience Award,™ Salina Presbyterian Manor has satisfied the rigorous demand of scoring in the top 15 percent of the nation across a 12-month average.

Independent living residents rated the community in the top 15 percent for meeting transportation needs, safety and security, willingness to recommend

to others, and overall customer experience.

Assisted living residents and their families rated the community highly for food quality, while health care residents and their families gave the campus high marks for cleanliness, activities, and safety and security.

For more information about Salina Presbyterian Manor, contact Cathy Boos, marketing and sales director, at 785-825-1366 or cboos@pmma. org. ◆