Wichita Presbyterian Manor
APRIL 2022
Volunteer gives manicures, listens to stories After her retirement, Jenny Taylor told her daughter she needed to find something to do. “She said, ‘We always need volunteers at Wichita Presbyterian Manor,’” Jenny recalled.
We welcome Becky to Wichita Presbyterian Manor.
Her daughter is Executive Director Courtney Wolfe. Their conversation inspired Jenny, who worked as a medical assistant for a surgical group before her retirement, to begin volunteering once a week in the community’s memory care neighborhood.
Wichita Presbyterian Manor welcomes new business office manager
At first, Jenny was the walking companion for a resident who liked to make circuits around the memory care area. Since then, she has served in many different volunteer capacities in memory care — including manicurist. Every Tuesday morning, Jenny sets up a
Jenny Taylor gives a manicure to a memory care resident. She sets up a nail salon in the memory care neighborhood every Tuesday morning.
In January, Becky Thackery joined the leadership team at Wichita Presbyterian Manor as business office director. The married mother of three brings a wide breadth of senior living experience to her new role. A native of Hutchinson, Kan., Becky got her start in the senior living field as a housekeeper for the Sunshine Meadows Retirement Community in Buhler, Kan. For the past six years, Becky was
Thackery – continued on page 2
Volunteer – continued on page 2 Get the latest on visitation and COVID-19 at our campus at WichitaPresbyterianManor.org/covid-19.
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Volunteer – continued from page 1 station in the memory care activities room and paints the nails of the ladies who live there.
It’s the conversation with residents that she appreciates the most about her volunteering.
“I love to paint nails and they love to get their nails painted,” Jenny said. “I have a pretty good following.
“It’s a joy of mine,” she said. “I look forward to the time I spend with these residents weekly, the conversations and laughter we share, and the many stories I hear.”
“They think I’m a professional, but I’m not — I just learned how to paint nails from doing my own.” Although her Tuesday-morning clientele is all female, she still gets to visit with a few men who live in the neighborhood. “They’ll come out and sit with us and enjoy our conversation,“ Jenny said.
In addition to Jenny’s status as the memory care manicurist, her volunteer work has included assisting with memory care’s contribution to the annual Presbyterian Manor pumpkin decorating contest, escorting residents to special events on the campus, playing games and bingo
with residents, and travel talks based on her recent adventures. One of Jenny’s favorite travel stories she shared with residents was when she won a car and other prizes as a contestant on “The Price is Right.” The residents even got the opportunity to be “contestants” when Jenny created a version of the popular game show for them to play. The residents created T-shirts they wore on their game show days, and while the prizes weren’t as extravagant as a car, residents still got pretty excited when they “won big.” u
Thackery – continued from page 1 the business office manager at Reflection Living in Wichita. Before that, she served as a certified nursing assistant and certified medical assistant. The opportunity to provide a caring home for seniors is what she likes best about her chosen field. “I want to help the elderly live their life to the fullest,” she said. “I
get so much out of being around seniors, too. It’s fun to learn from them and hear their memories.” Having moved to a new senior living community after working for more than 13 years at Reflection Living, it’s already been an eventful year for Becky. But she has one more big change to look forward to: her second grandchild is on the way.
Throughout her career, Becky has furthered her professional development in multiple ways. She is a certified activities director and social service designee, and in 2016 she completed the work to be a certified adult care home operator. “Knowledge is power, so if I can learn something new, I want to take that opportunity,” Becky said. “I work hard, and I like to excel.” u
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316-942-7456 ◆ Fax: 316-941-3806 4700 W. 13th St. Wichita, KS 67212-5575 WichitaPresbyterianManor.org
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Community Matters
To submit or suggest articles: awatson@PMMA.org
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.
Amy Watson, life enrichment dir. Courtney Wolfe, executive director Cherree Hudspeth, health care sales and marketing
OUR MISSION: To provide quality senior services guided by Christian values. COMMUNITY MATTERS | April 2022
Wichita Presbyterian Manor celebrates Founder’s Day This first Presbyterian Manor senior living community opened on April 19, 1949. Every year, we mark the anniversary with a Founder’s Day celebration. It’s an opportunity to celebrate our community and give thanks for the people who implemented a mission of providing quality senior services guided by Christian values. In 1970, Wichita Presbyterian Manor opened its doors. For the first few years, the community only had the capacity for 24 residents. Before the decade was up, Presbyterian Manor added 60 senior living apartments. A series of expansions in the 1980s, including a move to the present location, enabled the community to serve the needs of hundreds of seniors at multiple levels of care. In 1992, four Presbyterian Manor campuses, including Wichita, 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. The careful stewardship and commitment to excellence over the course of Wichita Presbyterian
Alice Kalb’s inquiry sparked a two-year study and the eventual opening of the very first Presbyterian Manor on April 19, 1949.
Manor’s history are evidence of how the community lives out the mission of providing quality senior services guided by Christian values. It’s a value shared across the PMMA (Presbyterian Manors of MidAmerica®) system, which includes 15 communities in Kansas and Missouri. Newton Presbyterian Manor holds the distinction of being the first. The impetus to found the community came from a woman from El Dorado, Kan., who asked the United Presbyterian Synod if it would consider opening a home for the aged. Alice Kalb’s inquiry sparked a two-year study and the eventual opening of the very first Presbyterian Manor on April 19, 1949. After Alice’s question was brought
forward, the synod voted to appoint a small exploratory committee to look at the idea and see if it had merit. Dr. George Nelson was appointed chairman of the committee at its first meeting in Topeka a month later. The committee quickly determined that there was indeed a need for a home for the aged and sought approval from the synod to raise funds for the effort. The request was approved at the synod meeting in Hutchinson in October 1947. Each April 19, we give thanks for Alice Kalb, a woman who had the courage to ask for the help she needed. We’re also grateful for the wisdom of the church leaders who recognized the importance of her request. Happy Founder’s Day! u
Wichita Presbyterian Manor | A PMMA COMMUNITY
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4700 W. 13th St. Wichita, KS 67212-5575 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
Can you find the words in this Easter themed word search? Find all these Easter words in the grid - they run in straight lines, in any direction. The leftover letters spell out an Australian Easter-time event. u
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COMMUNITY MATTERS | April 2022