Commun ty Matters Wichita Presbyterian Manor
December 2018
Wichita Presbyterian Manor U.S. News and World Report Best Nursing Home list Wichita Presbyterian Manor is on the U.S. News and World Report Best Nursing Homes 2018-2019 list. The senior living community received the highest score of High Performing to make the list, available at www. usnews.com/best-nursinghomes/search. The U.S. News and Report list uses information from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the government agency that sets and enforces standards for nursing homes. CMS assigns one to five stars to each community for how well it performs in health inspections, nurse staffing and level of quality care. U.S. News now uses the CMS star rating for staffing rather than the overall star rating to determine which communities are given the High Performing designation. This decision reflects expert opinion on the importance of staffing in quality of care, as well as the availability since April 2018 of more accurate LIST, continued on page 4
Kasey Schwemmer competes at the National Balloon Classic, a nine-day event in Indianola, Iowa.
Childhood dream keeps Kasey Schwemmer’s head in the clouds Maintenance technician Kasey Schwemmer is living his dream. A hot air balloon enthusiast since childhood, Kasey became a pilot 11 years ago and has been taking to the sky ever since. “It’s just something I’ve always wanted to do … something I’ve known since I was about three years old and saw balloons fly over my house,” said Kasey. “When they asked me in kindergarten what I wanted to do when I grow up, I said I wanted to be a hot air balloon pilot.” Kasey got his start in ballooning as a member of various ground crews, where he would assist with the set up and inflation of the balloons before following them during their flights and eventually helping them make safe landings. Making the jump to pilot, however, was a challenge due to the lack of flight training schools in this part of the country. “Around here, if you don’t want to travel, you basically have to know somebody who’s willing and capable to give flight instruction,” said Kasey. CLOUDS, continued on page 2
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“My wife, Val, and I have known each other for most of our lives, about 25 years now, and all because of ballooning. Her dad flew the RE/ MAX balloon back in the 90s and early 2000s, and ended up being my flight instructor,” said Kasey. The training itself can take a couple of years to complete and requires knowledge of federal regulations, airspace and weather—everything required of airplane and helicopter Kasey competes at the National Balloon Classic, a nine-day event in Indianola, Iowa. pilots. The main difference being the variable of unpredictability involved because we can’t steer the in hot air ballooning. balloon—we go 100 percent where the wind takes us,” said Kasey. “We “Every hot air balloon flight is can plan our flight to an extent, different. A lot of it is unknown but we never know exactly where we’re going to land.”
Community Matters
is published monthly for residents and friends of Wichita Presbyterian Manor by Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America Inc., a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Learn more at PresbyterianManors.org. Courtney Wolfe, executive director Melody Dodge, marketing director To submit or suggest articles for this publication, contact Amy Watson, life enrichment director, awatson@pmma.org. Telephone: 316-942-7456 Fax: 316-941-3806 Address: 4700 W. 13th St., Wichita, KS 67212-5575 Our mission: We provide quality senior services guided by Christian values. WichitaPresbyterianManor.org
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Community Matters December 2018
While Kasey enjoys leisurely hot air balloon rides, his real passion is in competitive ballooning where pilots are judged on accuracy as they attempt to hit various targets along a single flight. “I’d much prefer to be doing a competition than a peaceful ride at home. Mostly for me, it’s an adrenaline rush.Your heart’s going the whole time, you get closer to the target and you anticipate when to drop your marker and how close you get to the ground. It’s really cool,” said Kasey.
Kasey flying at the Albuquerque International Balloon Festival.
As for those who might be nervous about boarding a hot air balloon, Kasey has a surprising admission. “Believe it or not, a lot of balloon pilots—including myself— are not fond of heights,” said Kasey. “It’s a totally different sensation. It’s never like anything you’d expect.”
Kasey at the National Balloon Classic. Like us on Facebook
Margot Harling danced her way around the world Resident Margot Harling was born in New York, in November 1932, one of four daughters of a Presbyterian minister and a homemaker. Margot began ballet lessons at the age of eight. In high school, she travelled to New York City to continue ballet classes at various schools, where she gained strength and endurance. After graduation, she joined Radio City Music Hall Ballet for nine months. She danced and sang in the road company of Kiss Me Kate, traveling 14,000 miles in 10 weeks. After a successful audition with the Slavenska-Franklyn Ballet Company, she travelled through the south for six weeks dancing in various ballets. In New York, Margot continued ballet classes at School of the American Ballet, through which she had the opportunity to dance in a
new work by William Dollar. This led to her joining the prestigious American Ballet Theatre, rehearsing with renowned choreographers Leonard Massine and Agnes DeMille. They toured throughout the United States, Mexico, Central and South America where she experienced and lived through two revolutions.
morning (appropriate for an Englishman) and remained married for almost 40 years. Wichita became their third home in 1972.
In 1963, Margot joined the company of Space Is So Startling, a musical show, traveling to and through India, where she heard news of President Kennedy’s assassination. In 1965, she joined the staff of Up with People as a choreographer and dancer, travelling the United States, Canada and overseas until 1968. Margot met her English husband, Denis, in California. She said yes to his third proposal at Estes Park, Colo., over a dead trout. They were married on a misty December
Margot poses En Pointe during her days with the Slavenska-Franklyn Ballet Company.
Residents visit New Advanced Learning Library Residents of Wichita Presbyterian Manor were treated to private tours of the new Advanced Learning Library by Director of Wichita Public Libraries, Cynthia Berner, and some of her staff. Residents got an in-depth look at the beautiful, open spaces throughout the building. The library is home to state-of-theart electronics and an assortment of devices for taking the library into the future. A 16-screen, 16-by 9-foot digital monitor located in the pavilion greets visitors with ongoing library events and information. Soon, it will have touch screen Like us on Facebook
John Decker, Barbara Decker, June Beachler, Mary Margaret Wilson, Anna Benoit, Pat Wiebe, Ann Murray, Barbara Dravis and Deb Derber pose with a librarian.
access for patrons to find exactly what they need during their visit. Visitors can access more than 60 (soon to be 100) computers
throughout the library. There are reading nooks and collaboration tables to meet with friends or colleagues.
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High-speed Internet access helps visitors stay connected. There are electric outlets generously available throughout the library to charge electronic devices. There are multiple meeting rooms, conference rooms, an audiovisual green room, and a board room, all of which can be reserved for use. Wichita Presbyterian Manor was able to take the Bookmarks Book Club to host their monthly meeting
in one of the conference rooms. The library has added self-checkout stations to help eliminate wait lines. Returning books has never been easier. A conveyer belt system scans all incoming items with cameras and sorts the materials into correct bins, making re-shelving materials easier. Plus, the conveyor belt can process up to 1,100 items in an hour. The children’s learning garden boasts more than 10,000 square feet of interactive learning and play,
promoting problem-solving and early educational skills. Presbyterian Manor residents are familiar with local coffee shop, Reverie Roasters, and can now enjoy their delicious coffee and other beverages as well as an assortment of brunch/lunch items during certain library hours. The residents were in awe of the spaces throughout the building. The tours were very much appreciated.
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data on nurse staffing levels in each community or center. More than 4,300 nursing homes received CMS’ top rating of five stars, while just 1,844 nursing homes earned the top Overall rating issued by U.S. News, according to the U.S. News website. This is the sixth time Wichita Presbyterian Manor has been named to the U.S. News and World Report Best Nursing Homes list since 2011. All Medicare- and Medicaid-certified health care centers were evaluated by U.S. News. To be eligible for an overall rating, a center must have received an overall star rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in July 2018 and a staffing star rating in either April or July 2018. To learn more about the U.S. News and World Report rating system, visit their FAQ page: https://health. usnews.com/health-news/bestnursing-homes/articles/faqhow-we-rate-nursing-homes.
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