Sterling Community Matters January 2015

Commun ty Matters Sterling Presbyterian Manor

Sterling Presbyterian Manor’s Art is Ageless® call for entries underway

Sterling Presbyterian Manor has issued a call for entries for the Art is Ageless® juried exhibit to be held March 23 to 27, 2015. Entries of artistic works will be accepted from any area artist who is 65 years of age or older to exhibit and/or compete for an opportunity to be featured in the 2016 Art is Ageless calendar.

Works to be entered for judging need to be at Presbyterian Manor by March 20, 2015.

The Art is Ageless® Program encourages Sterling Presbyterian Manor residents and other area seniors ART IS AGELESS continued on page 4

Resident Wellness:

January 2015

New Face Brings New Ideas

As the new year rolls in, people everywhere are determining their new year’s resolutions; that is deciding what change they will make in their lives. At Sterling Presbyterian Manor, that change will involve bolstering the commitment to resident wellness. This is taking place both through programming and personnel.

Sterling brought Jon Van Veldhuizen on board in August 2014 to join the activities and social services departments. Jon holds a Bachelor’s in Exercise Science as well as a Graduate degree in Exercise Science and Health Promotion. Jon has already planned and executed various games and activities which have allowed the residents to be more physically active. This has been particularly beneficial for those residents who are not currently on any type of physical or restorative therapy program.

Structured exercise has numerous benefits as long as you participate.

Further, exercise for the elderly is extremely beneficial and, many would argue, necessary. Currently exercise has been offered six days a week for 30 minutes.

New exercise DVDs have been purchased and will be introduced in the near future. Included will be Armchair Pilates and Armchair Fitness for Seniors: Dance Aerobics.

Passing Time by the Pool Table

An anonymous donor gave the Presbyterian Manor a pool table, and the residents have had fun playing.

Charlie Seidl and Calvin Koch enjoy an afternoon of playing pool.

HIPAA 101

A simple question doesn’t always have a simple answer. “Why did my friend go to the hospital?” seems to be a simple question, but the answer is blocked by a federal law. While most think of the law as the protector of medical records, privacy isn’t even in its name.

We call it HIPAA (pronounced HIPpah), but the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 also has been known as the Kassebaum-Kennedy Act or KennedyKassebaum Act. Sen. Nancy Landon Kassebaum, R-Kan., was a leading sponsor of the bill, along with Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass.

The official explanation is: “An Act To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to improve portability and ®

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Community Matters is published monthly for residents and friends of Sterling Presbyterian Manor by Presbyterian Manors of

501(c)(3) organization. Learn more at PresbyterianManors.org.

Mike Rajewski, executive director Cindy Moore, marketing director To submit or suggest articles for this publication, contact cmoore@pmma.org.

Telephone: 620-278-3651 Fax: 620-278-3581 Address: 204 W. Washington, Sterling, KS 67579-1614 Our mission: We provide quality senior services guided by Christian values.

SterlingPresbyterianManor.org

2 COMMUNITY MATTERS JANUARY 2015

continuity of health insurance coverage in the group and individual markets, to combat waste, fraud, and abuse in health insurance and health care delivery, to promote the use of medical savings accounts, to improve access to long-term care services and coverage, to simplify the administration of health insurance, and for other purposes.”

The main intent was that the health industry would save money by computerizing paper records. That led to concerns over privacy, which led to new privacy regulations.

Protected Health Information Protected Health Information, called PHI, is any information about a person’s health status, any health services provided to the person and any payment specifics about those services.

Details of your medical record may not be shared without your consent. That’s one reason there are so many forms to sign at the doctor’s office nowadays.

They must have your consent to process your visit for billing, insurance purposes, etc.

That is also why it is so difficult to obtain information about friends in the hospital. Their condition, the reason they are in the hospital, even their names, are considered part of their medical record and subject to strict HIPAA regulations. Violations result in expensive fines, and health care workers are required to receive training on how to keep all medical information safe.

Here are some key privacy points: • When your health information is shared, only the minimum necessary should be disclosed.

• Health information is to be used only for health purposes. Without your consent, it can’t be used to help banks decide whether to give you a loan or by potential employers to decide whether to give you a job.

• If someone wants to share your health information, you have to give your formal consent.

• You can ask for copies of all this information and make appropriate

changes to it.You also can ask for a history of any unusual disclosures.

• Your health care provider and insurance company must explain how they’ll use and disclose health information. (Information from WebMD.) Retirement community regulations Retirement communities that provide state-licensed services, such as assisted living and health care, must abide by the strict privacy regulations.

Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America employees receive training and updates regularly. Vendors also are trained to ensure resident privacy is maintained.

PMMA employees know they are not to chat about residents in the hallways – or anywhere – because that violates their privacy protections.

The privacy laws are why health care staff can’t talk to other residents about the people in their care. It’s not that they are being unhelpful or that they don’t care about your feelings. They are required to keep the information confidential.

Another key component of the privacy rules that affect health care residents is that the “information” may not be linked to an individual. In the rules, “information” includes photos of faces.

That’s why we ask residents to sign consent forms when we take pictures for our newsletters, web sites and other marketing purposes.

Family concerns Information from AARP explains that health care staff can discuss conditions and treatments with family members, but you must give written permission for your loved ones to see your official medical records. It’s a good idea for older adults to have their adult children sign a letter or form designating them as a personal representative in case the need arises. This will give the health care providers the coverage they require to avoid HIPAA violations, according to AARP.

PMMA’s focus turns to the future in 1990s

This month, we continue to look back at our history as Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America celebrates 65 years of the art of life.

In 1990, Presbyterian Manors of tt Sco t plex in For Mid-America The 40-unit residential com 2.

199 in n moved into a started constructio new corporate office building in northeast Wichita, and Manor of the Plains in Dodge City opened.

That year, the “Tradition of Caring” capital campaign also kicked off with a goal of $6.4 million. The first leg of the campaign was conducted in Emporia, where $600,000 was raised. Each campus had its own campaign to raise funds toward the $6.4 million goal. The campaigns raised funds to meet current Good Samaritan Program needs and provide a future endowment for Good Samaritan needs, assist in covering debt service and provide capital improvements at PMMA campuses.

Local volunteers in Fort Scott, Kan., led efforts to raise funds for a new retirement complex. The “Time to Secure the Future” campaign set out to raise $500,000 in base contributions toward the construction of a 40-unit residential complex in Fort Scott. The land was donated

by American States Insurance Company. Construction began in December 1992. Jane O’Bryan was named the first administrator.

Also in 1992, four Presbyterian Manor campuses— Wichita, Newton, Salina and Lawrence—received recognitions from the Kansas Association of Homes for

the Aging. Wichita Presbyterian Manor won the Excellence in Service and the Recognition awards. The service award recognized Wichita’s ethics committee, which led to the campus working to become “restraint free” before the movement became popular around the country. Lawrence and Salina also received recognition awards, which signify high marks in the Department of Health and Environment’s annual survey of Kansas nursing facilities. Newton received the Innovation of the Year Award for the Apple-A-Day preschool, which opened in January 1992.

In July 1993, Dr. Mary Carman became chairperson of the PMMA board of trustees. Carman, who served on the advisory council at Newton in the 1980s, was a professional psychologist on staff at Prairie View. She was instrumental in the creation of one of the first special care units for residents with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia at the Newton Presbyterian Manor campus.

Architects drawing of the Fort Scott campus.

Students Bring Music and More to Manor

Cindy Anthony brings her music classes to the Presbyterian Manor throughout the year. The different grades bring different music. They sing and do speaking parts that pertain to the subject. We have enjoyed them singing Christmas carols, Thanksgiving pilgrim skits and more.

Students share Kansas Day songs and “Did You Know” facts.

STERLING PRESBYTERIAN MANOR 3

A Slice of Fun

The activities department hosted pizza day, where the residents enjoyed making their own personal pizzas.

Blast from the (Not So Distant)

Past

Activities love planning theme days, one of which was “1980s Day.” The office girls enjoyed a blast from the (not so distant) past.

Charlie Seidl and Opal Kruse finish up making their pizzas.

Cheryl Davis, Donna Grizzle and Cindy Moore are “girls who wanna have fun.”

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Sterling Presbyterian Manor 204 W. Washington Sterling, KS 67579-1614 Return Service Requested

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to express their creativity through its annual competition, as well as art classes, musical and dramatic events, educational opportunities and current events discussions throughout the year.

Having a creative outlet benefits the mind, body and spirit.

4 COMMUNITY MATTERS JANUARY 2015

“The exhibit and competition always draw a wide array of impressive artwork from talented seniors,” said Cindy Moore, marketing director.

“We’re expecting this to be another great year for creativity and variety of works on exhibit.”

Local competition winners will join winners 17 other Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America communities to be judged at the systemwide level.

Entry forms and information can be picked up at Sterling Presbyterian

Manor, 204 W. Washington, or by contacting Moore at 620-278-3651 or cmoore@pmma.org. Or go online to ArtIsAgeless.org to view rules, download an entry form or enter online.

Artists may choose to enter the exhibit only. For the competition, works are to have been completed in the past five years (since January 2008). There are nine categories, as well as designations of amateur or professional.