Topeka Presbyterian Manor
AUGUST 2020
Local quilt group donates cloth masks to staff at Topeka Presbyterian Manor Employees at Topeka Presbyterian Manor benefitted from the generosity of local quilters, who donated reusable cloth face masks in March.
Make a joyful noise By Roger Cook, chaplain
“This was started because you couldn’t buy them, so quilters and home sewers made masks from fabric in their stash,” said Lori Finney, who volunteers with the Kansas Capital Quilters Guild. “And then quickly you couldn’t get elastic and you couldn’t get bias tape.”
As the coronavirus lingers, we can find emotional, spiritual and mental benefits from listening to music and by lifting our voices in song. For many, these days can be depressing and disheartening. We can find joy and lift our minds above the heaviness of this time through musical expression.
The Topeka-based quilters group has been an active part of an effort to provide reusable cloth face masks to organizations in Shawnee County.
Rose Dahlgren, marketing director, models a cloth mask Alone, the group of more than 100 quilting aficionados donated like the hundreds donated to Topeka Presbyterian Manor. While more than 1,000 masks in the employees are no longer wearing first couple of weeks. They cloth masks due to the availability then joined forces with other of manufactured masks, the cloth volunteers, who communicated masks were a blessing when mask through the Facebook group 1,000 Masks for Shawnee County. supplies were low. MASKS - continued on page 4
In the Bible, there are more than 1,000 references to music. Have you ever wondered why music plays such a prominent place in the scriptures and such an essential role in the world today? Consider just a few benefits of music. I have discovered that Christian music cuts through the cares in our minds, and ushers us into God’s presence. For example, as we sing a hymn such as “In the CHAPLAIN - continued on page 2
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CHAPLAIN - continued from page 1
Garden,” our hearts can be warmed, our thoughts quieted, and our hearts directed to Christ to enjoy His presence at the start of our day. Along with spiritual benefits, research has revealed that your brain gets a mental workout when you listen to or play music. Not only can music help you feel more alert, but it can also boost your memory and mood. One reason is that there’s a math to music, and your brain has to work to make sense of this structure. According to one doctor from Johns Hopkins, “If you want to keep your brain engaged throughout the aging process, listening to or playing music is a great tool. It provides a total brain workout.” Music can be considered medicine
for your mind. Other health benefits associated with music include stress relief, motivation and even decreased pain from chronic illness. Research has revealed that music can heighten positive emotion in the reward centers of a person’s brain. When this happens, a person will often feel a sense of elation and a reduction of stress and anxiety. A fantastic study in 2013 revealed yet another benefit associated with music. A group of 60 people diagnosed with fibromyalgia, a disease characterized by severe pain, was randomly assigned to listen to music once a day for four weeks. Compared to the control group, the people that listened to music reported a significant reduction in pain and fewer depressive symptoms.
When it comes to musical expression, it’s good to remember the Bible doesn’t say, “sing with a beautiful voice” or even “sing on key.” Scripture says to “make a joyful noise” to the Lord (Psalm 98:4). God wants us to open our mouth and sing to Him not as a routine or ritual, but with our hearts. No matter how we sound, when we sing to Him, God is happy and joy fills our lives.◆
COVID-19 updates continue
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, you can count on regular communication from your PMMA community and PMMA leadership. PMMA’s President and CEO Bruce Shogren’s latest letter to residents and families is posted to your community website, TopekaPresbyterianManor.org/covid-19. In this issue of Community Matters, you’ll find an explanation of the phases of reopening and a flow chart showing all the entities contributing to our reopening plans.◆
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TOPEKA Presbyterian Manor
785-272-6510 ◆ Fax: 785-272-0496 4712 S.W. Sixth Ave. Topeka, KS 66606-2284 TopekaPresbyterianManor.org
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COMMUNITY MATTERS | August 2020
Community Matters
is published monthly for residents and friends of Topeka Presbyterian Manor by Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America, Inc., a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization.
To submit or suggest articles: rdahlgren@pmma.org Heather Pilkinton, executive director Rose Dahlgren, marketing director
OUR MISSION: To provide quality senior services guided by Christian values.
Topeka Presbyterian Manor earns zero-deficiency rating for health care, assisted living-focused infection control surveys Topeka Presbyterian Manor earned a zero-deficiency survey for two focused infection control surveys conducted by the Kansas Department of Aging and Disability Services (KDADS) in June. Senior living communities are surveyed annually by their licensing agency for compliance with regulations established by KDADS and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). KDADS licenses adult care homes and CMS licenses skilled nursing facilities. These regulations are designed to ensure a standard of care is met. By meeting this standard, senior living communities are able to renew their licenses and continue to provide care.
A zero-deficiency survey means Topeka Presbyterian Manor met all the standards for infection control in both assisted living and health care. CMS directed states to complete surveys of all skilled nursing facilities by July 31, 2020. The Kansas Legislature directed KDADS to complete focused infection control surveys for all adult care homes in Kansas by September 30, 2020. The focused infection control surveys hone in on an adult care home’s adherence to Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and CMS guidance on infection control practices to prevent disease at the community. Communities are assessed on staff and resident education, hand
hygiene and coughing/sneezing etiquette, cleaning, screening of employees and residents, effective transmission-based precautions, proper use/discarding of personal protective equipment, and signage at entrances and resident rooms. It also examines the community’s policies and emergencypreparedness related to a pandemic or outbreak. “Every day I see our employees go above and beyond in the care they provide,” said Heather Pilkinton, executive director. “These survey results recognize the hard work this team has put in throughout the COVID-19 crisis and further demonstrate our commitment to providing quality senior care and services based on Christian values.”◆
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TOPEKA Presbyterian Manor
4712 S.W. Sixth Ave. Topeka, KS 66606-2284 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
Our Mission: to provide quality senior services guided by Christian values Like us on Facebook to stay updated on news and events.
MASKS - continued from page 1
Angela Dake, the organizer of the group, thought if she could get 100 volunteers to make 10 masks each, they could meet the 1,000-mask goal. Instead, the group has contributed more than 20,000 masks to organizations such as hospitals, social service agencies, senior living communities and churches. “The response was so much more than we imagined,” Lori said. “But the need was overwhelming, too.” Volunteers made all kinds of masks, according to their individual skill level, and they also accommodated health care organizations who asked for specific design features, such as a pocket for a filter. Lori even learned how to start hundreds of masks at a time on
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her long arm, a quilting machine designed to sew together the top, batting and back in order to make a finished quilt. The masks were then finished on smaller machines. Her day job is in health care, so Lori understands the importance of personal protective equipment. “You’re working with a vulnerable population, but you also have a staff
COMMUNITY MATTERS | August 2020
that is high risk,” she said. “You have to protect the staff.” Lori started quilting four years ago, when her daughter was pregnant. Now quilting is something she does for fun and profit. She finishes quilts for people on the side, through her business Prairie Traditions.◆