Topeka Presbyterian Manor
SEPTEMBER 2020
Topeka Presbyterian Manor takes gradual approach to reopening community A large bulletin board in Heather Pilkinton’s office details current procedures and plans for gradually reopening Topeka Presbyterian Manor. “It looks a little like a CSI crime investigator board,” joked the community’s executive director. “But it helps to have everything right in front of me.” Since the beginning of the pandemic, Heather has overseen Heather Pilkinton frequent changes to operations. Though the community was already taking precautions, everything changed on March 13 after the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) advised communities to temporarily end communal dining and activities and restrict community visitors. “That started a process of days and weeks and now months of reinventing our operation many times over,” she said. For the last several weeks, the community has gradually lifted some restrictions. Recently, assisted living residents have been able to eat lunch in the dining room, and some small-group activities have resumed. Of course, nothing is quite the same. Gatherings are currently limited to 10 residents, all of whom are required to wear masks and remain six feet apart from each other. Assisted Living residents are attending chapel in the dining room in order to spread out more, and up to five chapel STATE - continued on page 2
‘Good Samaritan’ donors ensure residents are well cared for —for life Every resident at Topeka Presbyterian Manor carefully planned their retirement. But sometimes that isn’t enough. Fortunately, the Good Samaritan Program is there for residents who have outlived their financial resources. At Topeka Presbyterian Manor, an average of 57 residents benefit from the program, said Sarah Oenning, vice president of giving for PMMA (Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America). The program includes the discounting of fees and payment of some expenses for residents who have exhausted their assets through no fault of their own. “It’s designed to meet room and board needs, first and PROGRAM - continued on page 4
Topeka Presbyterian Manor | A PMMA COMMUNITY
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services have been offered in a single day in order to accommodate everyone. Lunch in the dining room has become a logistically complicated operation. A staff member takes temperatures before residents enter, and each diner sits one to a table in order to ensure social distancing. Staff also follow cleaning protocols before and after each meal. In a pandemic, plans tend to change due to a variety of factors. The date for communal dining was pushed back a few weeks due to the rising numbers of cases in the county. “We’re always trying to figure out what is most appropriate for our setting,” Heather said. “We have had no COVID here at all, so we would probably be opening the doors to families at this point if the community spread in Shawnee County weren’t so high. Unfortunately, we can’t have community members come in when that is happening.” In the meantime, Presbyterian Manor staff have looked for ways to help residents with things their families usually take care of, such as grocery shopping. Staff created a weekly grocery order form so that residents can purchase essentials,
and they have tweaked the list to provide things the residents ask for, like shampoo. One staff member even went out of her way to shop for a specialty item that a resident missed. Dining staff have worked to make special meals for holidays spent away from family, and residents celebrating birthdays get balloons and a cake of their choosing. For a couple of weeks, Heather, who still holds her cosmetology license, spent several hours a week cutting residents’ hair. Since mid-March, staff from dining, housekeeping, nursing and activities have worked together to make sure each resident received three meals a day delivered to their door. “The collective attitude was, ‘We’re going to get this done and do it well,’” Heather said. “I saw people pulling together in superhuman ways.”
enough to continue. She notes that if a resident or staff member tests positive, everything will shut down again. She wants to avoid that “psycho-social roller coaster” if at all possible. “Senior living communities will be the last segment of society to reopen, because this is such a vulnerable population,” she said. “Outside our doors, things might be different. But here, it might be some time down the road before things are fully open.” Though no one is enjoying the current reality, most understand that Presbyterian Manor is doing what is needed for the good of the whole community.
The activities staff set up a schedule so that Assisted Living and Health Care residents have the opportunity to have an assisted video chat with loved ones once a week, and family “The majority of what I hear from members who live locally have been residents is they have a thankful devoted to window visits. Some heart,” Heather said. “They don’t visit almost every day. like being isolated in the way they As the community looks forward have had to be, but they appreciate to opening up further, Heather’s they’re in a place where the staff can protect them.” ◆ biggest concern is moving slowly Like us on Facebook to stay updated on news and events.
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 | September 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.
SEPTEMBER
Topeka Presbyterian Manor | A PMMA COMMUNITY
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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.
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foremost,” Sarah said. “That said, each community works to provide the big and little things that make quality of life a priority — new slippers or eyeglasses, for example.” The program’s namesake is the subject of one of Jesus’ parables, which appears in the Gospel of Luke. The Good Samaritan finds a man in need by the side of the road. Instead of passing by, he cares
for the man. Jesus told the story in response to the question, “Who is my neighbor?” Our “neighbors” are members of the wider community, Presbyterian Manor employees and other residents. Many include the program in their estate planning. Each donor helps ensure each resident at Topeka Presbyterian Manor will be well cared for. “The Good Samaritan Program ensures that each of our residents
have a home for the rest of their lives,” Sarah said. “It goes to the heart of our mission to offer quality care to everyone we serve.” All current residents are eligible to apply for help from the Good Samaritan Program, which is designed so that beneficiaries’ identities are kept confidential. To learn more and to help a senior in need, visit Giving. PresbyterianManors.org, or call 1-800-336-8511. ◆
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 are posted to your community website, TopekaPresbyterianManor.org/covid-19. ◆
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COMMUNITY MATTERS | September 2020