Salina Presbyterian Manor
MARCH 2020
Mary’s Musings By Mary Bridges, chaplain
“Rest and self-care are so important. When you take time to replenish your spirit, it allows you to serve others from the overflow. You cannot serve from an empty vessel.” — Eleanor Brown, author I am excited to announce that the “We Care” support group will resume this month. The most exciting part is that we will be inviting members of the community and surrounding area to join us for conversation and sharing. When families deal with dementia or other chronic health issues, the caregivers often neglect to care for themselves.
Grecia Castenada-Torres
Social worker takes care of ‘odds and ends’
Grecia Castenada-Torres originally planned to be a nurse. While a student at Fort Hays State, she worked as an aide in a senior living community and observed how the social worker provided emotional support for residents. She switched her major. Grecia knew she wanted to work with people at the beginning or end of their lives. SOCIAL - continued on page 2
A 2003 study of caregivers by a research team at Ohio State University discovered a significant deterioration in the health of caregivers when compared to a similar group of non-caregivers. Even more disturbing is the fact that caregivers had a 63 percent higher death rate than the control group. Before the end of the six-year study, 70 percent of the caregivers had died. These are brutal realities that must be addressed to protect the long-term wellbeing of those caring for the elderly. In 2004, a study performed by the University of California’s Department of Psychiatry reported MUSINGS - continued on page 2
Salina Presbyterian Manor | A PMMA COMMUNITY
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