Wichita Presbyterian Manor
JULY 2019
Resident’s eye for birding makes him a natural photographer
Welcome to the team, Renee!
Renee Elwood joined our community in May as the new health services administrator, a new position at Wichita Presbyterian Manor.
Renee Elwood
“My main focus is providing guidance for healthcare and PATH and reporting to the executive director,” Renee says. The list of responsibilities that come with the new position are to ensure staff understand and follow the mission as well as policies and procedures, prioritizing and achieving quality of care for all residents, and ensuring resident safety. Max Miller with some of the photographs he has taken.
About 15 years ago, Westerly residents Max and Kay Miller were introduced to “birding” by their friends, the McDavitts, also residents at Wichita Presbyterian Manor. What started out as watching and tracking birds, however, developed into a true passion for photography and works of art. “The McDavitts are very accomplished birders and got us interested in it. We went with them a lot of the time. We started with binoculars and spotting scopes. Then it got fun with an eye piece on the spotting scope, and I got intrigued with photos we were getting but they weren’t very good. So, I got a telephoto lens and have been playing with it ever since,” said Max.
Renee says communication between staff and\or residents in regards to any concerns, as well as following up with all involved to ensure a positive resolution\outcome and assisting in the development of the annual operating budget and departmental goals and objectives also make up the position. While it’s only been a couple of months, Renee is feeling right at home in her new role.
Currently, Max uses his Nikon camera and telephoto lens from 150-200 mm to get the telephoto effect. “The fun thing is to find a bird, identify what it is and see how many you can get. It’s more fun when you’re really not sure what it is. There was a bird at the zoo, recently, and I wasn’t sure
“The thing I am enjoying the most about my new job is getting to know the community. This includes everyone. From the residents, to their families, as well as all the
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what it was. I came back and put the pictures up on the computer screen so we could magnify them and look. We discovered it was a female oriole,” said Max. Max and Kay, who have been married for 60 years, like to go birding at Cheyenne Bottoms and Quivira Wildlife Refuge. Both are on the migratory path and certain times of the year they can spot many birds that aren’t typically seen here. “One time, Kay and I got to Quivira, and on that occasion, we saw 70 different whooping cranes —that’s about one-tenth of the total population there are.” Max has been shooting birds with his camera for around 10 years. While he’ll “practically shoot anything,” he doesn’t typically photograph people. “I mostly shoot wildlife, flowers, birds and things you would see wandering through a park.” For inspiration—and better health —Max walks to the Sedgwick County Zoo almost daily with his camera. He enjoys shooting photos when he, Kay and the McDavitts go on vacation, too. For Max, photography is a true art form. “There are several different things
Max Miller says birds and animals are his favorite subjects to photograph.
I enjoy about photography. In one case, you’re simply capturing something you see, a record of something you’re looking at. The other dimension is that I can take a picture, and I enjoy sitting down at the computer and working with Lightroom and Photoshop to make an image of it that is better
than I got in the camera. I think of it as taking it with the camera and making it with the computer. There’s only a few photos worth doing that with.” Max recently shared his photos at a program on campus. We hope he’ll continue sharing his talent and love for birding with us! ◆
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WICHITA Presbyterian Manor
316-942-7456 ◆ Fax: 316-941-3806 4700 W. 13th St. Wichita, KS 67212-5575 WichitaPresbyterianManor.org
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COMMUNITY MATTERS | July 2019
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) organizaton.
To submit or suggest articles: awatson@PMMA.org Amy Watson, life enrichment dir. Courtney Wolfe, executive director Melody Dodge, marketing director
OUR MISSION: To provide quality senior services guided by Christian values.
Love for cats connects mother and daughter By Christine Schoenwald for Next Avenue
Why is it, no matter how old we are, where I’d missed the there’s a part of us which continues mark. to seek our parent’s approval? She didn’t seem to understand that My mother never was the kind of parent who believed that everything my experience with my father was different from hers her child did was extraordinary or or that I was entitled to my own brilliant. A couple of years ago, I opinion. She used words like wrote a personal essay about my “terrible,” “poorly written” and late father and his fantastic sense “bad.” of humor. I thought my mother would enjoy reading it—they had Respect for my work been divorced several years at the Afterward, I made a promise that time of his death, but she always I would never put myself into such appreciated how funny he was. a vulnerable position with my However, not only did my mother mother again and that I’d avoid not like the piece, she felt she owed sharing my written work with her. it to me to point out all the places Since my mother has never owned
a computer, cell phone or any kind of electronic device and I write mostly for online publications, it wasn’t difficult to prevent her from finding and reading my writing. The magic of Yoshi My mother is caring towards some mammals, though: her many pets. My mother has made no secret of how she prefers animals to humans. And it’s the care she takes of her - Cats, continued on page 4
In Presbyterian Manor’s ongoing commitment to customer satisfaction, we have partnered with Pinnacle Quality Insight. This company will periodically contact the people we serve via telephone to conduct an interview regarding their impression of our service. We use this feedback as a tool to continually improve our quality of care and enhance our relationships. When you are contacted to participate in the survey, they will always identify themselves specifically as being with Pinnacle Quality Insight. All state and federal confidentiality laws are met in Pinnacle’s service. We greatly value your opinions and encourage you to be frank and honest when contacted.
Thank you in advance for your participation.
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WICHITA Presbyterian Manor
4700 W. 13th St. Wichita, KS 67212-5575 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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family or hitting the road to visit them.
staff. I just became a licensed nursing home administrator in April. I am extremely grateful to begin my administrative career here,” said Renee.
“I am originally from Kansas City, moved to Topeka and attended high school there, and then moved to Wichita to attend Wichita State University,” she said. “My Dad and the majority of his side of the family live in Kansas City. My Mom and the majority of her side of the family live in Wichita. I do a lot of traveling to Kansas City to visit family. I have a seven-year-old
In her free time, Renee enjoys Friday Art Walks, Saturday mornings at the Farmers Market, going to the library to seek out new books, attempting new baking recipes and relaxing at home with - Cats, continued from page 3
pets that keeps her going. The love of cats is one of the few things we have in common. When an essay about my elderly cat, Yoshi was published, I debated sharing it with my mother. In the end, I relented and sent her a copy. When I saw my mother’s name pop up on my phone, I was afraid
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to answer it. In my waffling, I accidentally did and immediately heard: “The Yoshi article was wonderful! It’s smart and it gives good advice,” she said. “I’ve always told you that you should write about cats.” Was this my mother?! She not only liked my essay; she loved it. The Yoshi essay helped get me something that I’d been seeking
daughter who keeps our schedule busy between school activities and events, her bowling league and soccer practice, games and tournaments. I have two spoiled puppies; one is a miniature pincher, and my other is a chiweenie (Chihuahua and Dachshund mix). I have an identical twin sister, who lives in Kansas City; and two brothers, who both live in Topeka with their wives and kids.” ◆ for most of my life: my mother’s respect and approval. She’s no longer my harshest critic, but my biggest fan—as long as I write about animals. We’re closer now then we’ve been in a long time, and much of the credit for the improvement in our relationship goes to the cat who is trying to sleep on the computer keyboard as I write this: Yoshi. ◆