WHAT’S ON OUR MIND

You could hear lots of baby talk around Wichita Presbyterian Manor’s Memory Care last week when residents received a special surprise –memory babies. Each resident received a lifelike baby doll or puppy, provided by Pearl’s Memory Babies. The non-profit organization is dedicated to enriching the lives of seniors with Alzheimer’s and other cognitive impairments and found the baby dolls “seem to rekindle something inside their memories and hearts.” The response was immediate – as soon as our residents got to hold their “babies” their eyes lit up. Some started singing to the babies, others talked to them, hugged and kissed them. “She’s a sweet baby, a real sweet baby” one resident kept telling her baby doll as she kissed her. “Look what I got,” another resident proclaimed. “It’s real, it’s raw, it’s a moment that they get to experience,” said Sarah Oenning, PMMA (Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America®) Vice President of Giving. “The moment they hold these babies, it brings back that historical moment in their lives.” Pearl’s Memory Babies delivers babies to senior living communities across the country and it’s always a heart-warming, emotional experience. The organization started when one of the founder’s mother-in-law, Pearl, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. The family found the only thing that could soothe her was a baby doll. “It’s happening in their minds, it’s happening in their hearts. It brings joy to the heart,” said Oenning. The residents get to keep and care for their baby dolls or puppies. If you’d like to help Pearl’s Memory Babies continue their mission, you can donate here. Watch media coverage of our one-of-a-kind baby shower from KWCH 12 News here.

Wichita Presbyterian Manor continues to seek customer feedback through monthly telephone surveys. Each month, residents and their representatives are randomly selected to participate in telephone satisfaction surveys conducted by Pinnacle Quality Insight.

When Alex Washburn talks about her family, she talks about her husband, the Reverend Doctor Steven Washburn who built a career as a minister in the Midwest, as well as her now 40-year-old son and her 10-year-old grandson.

When Scott Love pauses to reflect on his father Ernie, a few key elements and themes rise to the surface.

Da'Yvanna 'Davy' Horton, the newly promoted Executive Chef at PMMA, is ready and excited to manage the daily menu at The Landing - and to learn more about residents’ culinary palates.