(con�nued on page 2)

PARCRPOSTVOLUME 5, ISSUE 4 JULY 2019

A NEWSLETTER FOR PENNSYLANIA ALLIANCE OF RETIREMENT COMMUNITY RESIDENTS

PARCR MEETINGS

July 10, 2019

LOCATION: Bethany Village

Mechanicsburg, PA

HOST: LeadingAgePA

TOPIC: “Future of Social Security

Benefits, Its Future, Increases”

October 9, 2019

LOCATION & HOST:

SpiriTrust Lutheran

(Sprenkle Drive) York, PA

TOPIC: “Demen�a”

INSIDE THIS ISSUE Page 2:

♦ Fraud Preven�on (con�nued)

Pages 3 :

♦ PARCR Communica�on & Info.

Pages 4 & 5 :

♦ Georgia Goodman LeadingAgePA

♦ PA Seniors Facing Nursing Crisis

Page 6:

♦ Share An Idea: Quincy Village

♦ Calling All Train Enthusiasts

Page 7:

♦ Normandie Ridge “Plarn” People

Pages 8 & 9:

♦ I Didn’t Know What I Didn’t Know

♦ Li<le Free Library @ Landis Homes

Page 10:

♦ Senior Sr. Prom @ Brethren Village

Page 11:

♦ CraAing Cross-Genera�onal Memo-

ries @ Garden Spot Village

Page 12:

♦ PARCR Mission Statement

♦ PARCR Exec Commi<ee Changes

♦ PARCR POST Informa�on

FRAUD PREVENTION Bruce Myers, AARP Consumer Issues Task Force Linda J. Heck, PARCR Post Editor, for Bill Stelger, Program Chair

Bruce Myers

AARP Consumer Issues

Task Force

Quincy Village, Waynesboro, PA served

as the host community for the April 10

quarterly mee�ng of PARCR. Mr. Bruce

Myers, Re�red Detec�ve Sergeant Bal�-

more County Police Department, was

guest speaker. He served the Bal�more

County Police Department for 22 years.

Myers first spoke of today’s fraud

challenges:

• Skimmers that can’t be detected

• People in posi�ons of trust who misuse your informa�on

• Computer hacking, phishing, pharming, spy-ware, pop-ups, just to

men�on a few challenges, with phone spoofing, the leading type of

fraud today.

He then offered the following ac�ons to help protect yourself:

• Monitor your credit reports regularly, annualcreditreport.com

Equifax 800-525-6285

Experian 888-397-3742

TransUnion 800-680-7289

• Monitor your bank accounts and credit cards regularly

• Use technology to assist you, i.e. My Mobile Money App

Other ways to protect yourself:

• Use Good Passwords

• Op�ng Out — Preapproved credit offers; check with banks about

op�ng out; place telephone number on “do not call” registry

• Telephone Scams — Do not answer unless you know the number

Today’s Top Scam Trends are:

Can you hear me? Arrest Warrant

IRS, Tax Collec�on Travel/Vaca�on

Debt Collec�on Employment

Page2 PARCRPOST5.4

FRAUD PREVENTION (con�nued from page 1)

Topics also discussed were computer safety, in-

person scams, and what persons do with your

stolen iden�ty. He advised that your best de-

fense is to KEEP YOURSELF INFORMED.

Myers was humorous at �mes, with the topic

“How to Become a Vic�m”; he kept your a<en-

�on, all the while educa�ng you on what to do if

you become a vic�m.

Looking ahead to July, mark your calendar for

Wednesday, July 10, and plan to a<end the next

PARCR mee�ng to be held at Bethany Village.

This mee�ng will be hosted by PARCR Partner,

LeadingAgePA. Topic will be “Future Status of Social Security Benefits, Its Future and Promised Increases,

with John H. Johnson, Public Affairs Specialist, Social Security.

PARCRPOST5.4 Page3

COMMUNICATIONS

AND

INFORMATION

LeadingAge Pa has asked for help from PARCR members with the following plea:

Tell the General Assembly About Medical Assistance Funding Shor4alls!

LeadingAge PA needs our help!

We must engage with elected officials in the general assembly NOW about the shorRalls in

medical assistance for our nursing facili�es. We must tell them how the cost of providing

care under the medical assistance program is significantly more than our communi�es get

reimbursed.

Use the resources provided by LeadingAge PA, which are a<ached. Every �me we call, write,

or invite our elected official to our nursing facility, we all get a step closer in making an

important impact!

LeadingAge PA has provided the following informa�on regarding efforts to include assisted

living in medicaid funding which will be managed by the Community HealthChoices

program.

***********

Bill to Include Assisted Living in Community HealthChoices Introduced

Early in the week of May 13, 2019, HB 1442 was introduced by Steve Mentzer

(R-Lancaster). This bill is a result of the advocacy efforts of LeadingAge PA on one of their

major ini�a�ves. The bill would require the Department of Human Services (DHS) to include

assisted living services in the Community HealthChoices program. The bill would also

require DHS to review waivers of assisted regula�ons such as room size and bathroom

capacity. These are some of the issues most oAen given by personal care homes that might

otherwise want to convert to assisted living.

Page4 PARCRPOST5.4

Represen�ng LeadingAgePA at the April 10 mee�ng was Georgia Goodman,

in the absence of Anne Henry. She spoke about the status of former HB 2291

Individual Living Privacy Act, its changes and that the logic is being refocused

for a new introduc�on, hopefully some�me this year.

But the major topic of her presenta�on is the push being put on the PA Legis-

lature for inclusion of a rate increase for Medicaid Long Term Care facili�es.

Page 5 contains two illustra�ons provided by Anne Henry with the facts and

details of the $631 Million dollars in loss CCRC’s in Pennsylvania are experiencing. Please read this infor-

ma�on. LeadingAgePA is seeking our support of their effort to get a 2.8% Medicaid increase in this year’s

State budget. See prior page for PARCR support request.

Georgia Goodman

Director, Government Affairs,

LeadingAgePA

PARCRPOST5.4 Page5

May 23, 2019

This is the Year to Give Our Nursing Facili9es

Some Relief!

This year, Pennsylvania's revenues are more

than what is expected. Instead of the legisla-

ture puYng the surplus into the state's "Rainy

Day" fund, let's ask our legislators to put that

money into covering some of the $631M Medi-

cal Assistance shorRall because it's raining hard

on our state's nursing homes!

Ask your state legislators to add 2.8% ($47M)

to nursing facility Medical Assistance rates and

fund the Nonpublic Medical Assistance Day

One Incen�ve Payment at $17M.

Use our resources to help tell your story. Every

�me you call, write, or invite your elected offi-

cial to your nursing facility, we get a step closer

in making an important impact!

Please let

Georgia Goodman know

about your efforts at

ggoodman@leadingagepa.org.

Page6 PARCRPOST5.4

At each PARCR Quarterly Mee�ng, the host commu-

nity is asked to “Share

An Idea” of something

happening in their indi-

vidual community. At

the April mee�ng,

Laura Glass, Communi-

ty Life/Volunteer Direc-

tor, shared with the

audience the partnering of

Quincy Village with Master-

piece Living. The goal is to

create more than just a Wellness Program, but to

create a more sa�sfied community, which results in

sa�sfied residents and team members.

The first step on this journey is for the residents to

complete a survey/ques�onnaire, then developing

measurement tools, and tracking the outcome.

There is emphasis on celebra�ng accomplishments.

To list a few from her presenta�ons are: Crea�ng

opportuni�es for team members to join along side of

residents; Crea�ng a family-like atmosphere; CSA

(Successful Aging Accredita�on); Increased balance

awareness/decrease falls; Increased technology

awareness. Another step in the process is to change

the language oAen associated with CCRC’s to a more

posi�ve approach and how society views aging. An

example used is changing the iden�fica�on to living

in a “Community” rather than the “Home.” The em-

phasis is to have the language more posi�ve, em-

powering and suppor�ve.

There are four major components addressed in this

program which are: Spiritual, Physical, Intellectual

and Social, all used in combina�on to provide a com-

munity of sa�sfied residents with lower risks for de-

cline.

A ques�on, answer and comment segment followed

the presenta�on, ending with the comments from a

Quincy Resident sta�ng that he is healthier and hap-

pier with the seYng of individual goals while cele-

bra�ng achievement and success.

Laura Glass,

Community Life/

Volunteer Director,

Quincy Village

PARCR QUARTERLY MEETING

“SHARE AN IDEA” REPORT:

Quincy Village Partners with Masterpiece Living

CALLING ALL MODEL TRAIN ENTHUSIASTS Does your community have a model train club? Lowell Starling of

Bethany Village would like to communicate with model train en-

thusiasts in other CCRC’s. If you are interested, please contact

Lowell at the following:

Cell Phone (717) 712-6773; Email lstarling@comcast.net

PARCRPOST5.4 Page7

THE PLARN PEOPLE OF

NORMANDIE RIDGE Allison Kauffman, Marke�ng Assistant/PR Writer,

Albright Care Services

A group of residents at Normandie Ridge are working

hard to help homeless veterans. “The Plarn People of

Normandie Ridge” have been busy making sleeping

mats from recycled plas�c bags. This involves cuYng

recycled plas�c bags and joining the pieces to make

plarn, which is plas�c yarn. The plarn is then

crocheted into mats. It takes an average of 500 to

700 bags to complete a 2.5 foot by 6 foot mat and

approximately 40 to 50 hours of work. Each month,

the group meets to con�nue working on the mats,

although a lot of the work is also done individually at

home.

Plenty of bags have been donated to the cause by

residents and local stores. Jinny Foor is organizer of

the Plarn People, “It’s reported that Americans use

100 billion plas�c bags a year with the average family

taking home almost 1,500 plas�c shopping bags a

year. However, according to waste management, only

one percent of the bags are returned for recycling.”

Foor says reusing the recycled bags not only will help

homeless veterans, but will reduce waste. The group

formed in November to start making the mats. They

will be donated to LifePath Chris�an Ministries in

York, a non-profit agency helping the homeless and

those living in poverty.

Another benefit of “The Plarn People” is the fellow-

ship the women enjoy when they meet as a group.

Foor said, “When the idea came about, I was so

surprised at the number of people that wanted to get

involved and help. We meet once a month and really

Pictured above from le@ to right: Elizabeth Petrick,

Joyce Brown, Virginia Foor, Fran Wyre, BeCy Shive,

Vickie Eisenhart, Karen Naumann, Fern Shanabrook,

Ruth Carrozza

Not pictured: Zelda Jones, Shirley Kirsopp,

Jane Crowder

enjoy the �me together.” “The Plarn People of

Normandie Ridge” are always looking for more

volunteers to join the group. They are willing to

teach interested members how to crochet, but you

don’t need to crochet to join the group.

I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT I DIDN’T KNOW Judy Sargent, Resident of Landis Homes

When my husband and I were exploring the idea of a

move to a re�rement community, one of the reasons we

chose to move to Landis Homes was that it offered learn-

ing opportuni�es with The Pathways Ins�tute for Life-

long Learning.

Twice a year, a catalog full of courses appears, from

which we can select from an array of classes. The cost is

extremely reasonable, so we both take full advantage.

Fred and I make individual selec�ons in addi�on to clas-

ses and events we a<end togeth-

er. In our almost eight years of

par�cipa�on, we’ve taken well

over 100 courses and I’d be hard-

pressed to think of one we

didn’t enjoy. Classes have been

entertaining, educa�onal, thought

-provoking and even ac�on-

inducing.

For the Spring 2019 semester, Dot

Landis, a Landis Homes resident

offered a class en�tled “Pallia�ve Care: What is it and

why do I need to know about it.” I found that intriguing,

so I signed up. Dot is a re�red clinical social worker who

worked in pallia�ve care in a large teaching hospital for a

number of years. She is passionate about the subject and

communicated eloquently. It proved to be what I consid-

er one of the most important Pathways experiences I’ve

had. Graciously, Dot agreed to do it a second �me, for

the benefit of the en�re Landis Homes community, in

the chapel here.

Prior to the class, I’d have defined pallia�ve care as hos-

pice care – care offered to individuals at the end of their

lives. I learned it is SO much more than that!

My husband and I were involved in caring for his parents

and my mother at the end of their lives. We knew the

importance of planning ahead, health care proxies, living

wills and other such documents. I’d have said we were

fairly well informed, but we were completely ignorant of

the concept of pallia�ve care.

Looking back on our parents’ situa�ons, I can detect

glimpses of such care being given, but not in any formal

sense. I’m grateful for a compassionate primary care

physician who gently nudged us to the

realiza�on that it was �me to consider

stopping cura�ve treatment for our

mother, and also for a nurse who re-

minded us that painful tests and proce-

dures that had no real purpose could

be refused. Those were flee�ng mo-

ments, though, in what was a lengthy

situa�on.

Pallia�ve care is an approach that improves

the quality of life of pa�ents, and those they

consider family, who face life-threatening illness – at any

stage or any age. It aims to prevent and relieve suffering

by means of early iden�fica�on and impeccable assess-

ment and treatment of pain and other problems – physi-

cal, psychosocial and spiritual. In short, it sees the indi-

vidual as a whole being. You are not defined by your ill-

ness and your family is not ignored.

As a medical specialty, pallia�ve care is recent. It is holis-

�c and interdisciplinary by inten�on. Imagine – medical

people working together, for the benefit of the pa�ent!

Fellowship training and board cer�fica�on are required.

It is becoming more and more available. One sta�s�c is

that in 2000, 658 of the 50+ bed hospitals in the US

offered pallia�ve care. By the year 2016, that number

Page8 PARCRPOST5.4

(con�nued on page 9)

Judy & Fred Sargent

Landis Homes Residents

had increased to 1,831. Presently, around 80% of such

hospitals are involved. S�ll, it is a new-ish concept, and

you might have to ask for it. You might even need to

educate your physician a bit.

On the con�nuum of care offered, hospice is a part of it.

But it is so much more than hospice. Pallia�ve care

func�ons alongside cura�ve treatment and remains in

place when cura�ve treatment ends. It con�nues aAer

hospice care and death by providing grief support to

loved ones.

A helpful emphasis of the presenta�on I a<ended –

twice! – was the importance of conversa�ons with

family, the thoughRully considered appointment of

informed health care direc�ves/proxies and the prepa-

ra�on of necessary legal documents. Talking about end

of life ma<ers is not easy, but it’s extremely necessary.

AAer all, every person has the fatal disease called life!

Resources, in the form of links to helpful informa�on,

were provided, too. Two I’ll men�on here are h?ps://

getpallia�vecare.org/ and h?p://www.caringinfo.org/

i4a/pages/index/cfm?pageid=3277. Also suggested

was a booklet called “Who Gets Grandma’s Yellow Pie

Plate?” That’s a very helpful workbook which serves as

a guide for passing on personal possessions. The Path-

ways Ins�tute website is: thePathwaysIns�tute.org.

WHAT I DIDN’T KNOW (con�nued from page 8)

PARCRPOST5.4 Page9

The rough weather predicted on April 26 held off long enough for the dedica�on of the Li<le Free Library in Leaman

Woods. More than 50 residents, team members, grandchildren and even a dog, gathered for a short ceremony. The

library, craAed from an ash tree stump, is open to all who visit our campus. The library has a charter number (85407)

and is registered on the world map at li?lefreelibrary.org. It contains a variety of excellent books for both adults and

children. Residents act as stewards. Anyone is free to donate or borrow a book!

LITTLE FREE LIBRARY COMES TO

LANDIS HOMES Deborah Laws-Landis, Director of Marke�ng & Communica�ons

Residents & Team Members who

helped make the library a reality Prayers & Litany led by

Pastoral Services Director

Donna Mack Shenk

Dedica�on of Li?le Free Library

Residents, Team Members,

Grandchildren & Dog a?ended

MANHEIM TOWNSHIP SENIOR CLASS

HOSTS A “SENIOR” PROM Tara Marie Ober, Vice President of Communica�ons &

Resident Life

Page10 PARCRPOST5.4

On April 5 the 2019 Manheim Town-

ship senior class officers hosted a

“senior” prom for the Residents at

Brethren Village. Brethren Village is

the official sponsor of the Manheim

Township senior class prom, and the

class officers wanted to do something

special to give back to the Residents.

The students replicated their own

theme at BV, chose refreshments and

photo props, and crowned a prom

king and queen!

Prior to the dance at BV, the senior

class officers met with our Resident

dance class and learned some of the

“old �me” line dances so they could

feel right at home at the BV Prom!

Our BV dance club, The Rock’N Sen-

iors Dance Club, welcomed them

with open arms and came to help the

students decorate the auditorium for

the big event. The rainy evening

didn’t stop Residents from coming all

dressed up ready to have a great

�me. For one BV Resident, it was her

very first prom as she did not a<end

her high school dance event. The stu-

dents and Residents danced for hours

to music of the 50’s and 60’s, line and

specialty dances including The Con�-

nental, Cab Driver, The Twist, YMCA

and they even took a Stroll!

Instead of a �cket price for the dance,

Residents contributed a free will

offering in support of the Manheim

Township Educa�onal Founda�on.

$1,125 was raised for MTEF, and

Hannah Bartges, President of the

MTEF Board of Directors, was on

hand to accept the dona�on.

Dr. Robin Felty, MT Superintendent,

Mr. David Rila<, MT High School

Principal, Dr. Dan Weber, MT High

School Assistant Principal and John

Snader, CEO of Brethren Village also

a<ended the event. It was truly a

remarkable night, and one that won’t

be soon forgo<en by BV’s Residents,

or the student leaders.

View a video recap of the Prom event

at hCps://youtu.be/zJ59mg6d4Ko

BV Residents

Terry Wilhelm

and

Nancy Sweigart

were crowned

Prom King and

Queen.

MT Senior Class officers Nick Tufano (back row,

2nd

from right), Lucy Svetec (back row, 3rd

from right),

Ben Banzhof (back row, 2nd

from leK) and

Charlie Gingrich (not pictured) hosted a special night at

BV to thank Residents for their generosity and support.

PARCRPOST5.4 Page11

CRAFTING CROSS-GENERATIONAL

MEMORIES AT GARDEN SPOT VILLAGE Juanita Fox, Storyteller, Garden Spot Communi�es

In November 2018 Meghan Clisham,

a 5th

grade teacher at New Holland

Elementary, contacted Garden Spot

Village, asking if it was possible to

work together to create an aAer-

school club for her students.

Larry Knepper, Garden Spot Village

resident since August 2009 and Wood

Shop member, approached the Wood

Shop leadership to see if there was

interest crea�ng a woodworking club.

The men, recognizing the opportunity

to posi�vely impact the lives of

children in the community, willingly

accepted the challenge. Gordon Lash,

John Moore, Bob Collins and Paul

Dodge volunteered to mentor the

students and Larry coordinated the

projects, drawing on experiences

leading similar sessions with

Grands & Kids Camp.

Larry says, “The students seemed to

be very interested. Some of them

have a li<le bit of background with

woodworking. I chose the projects to

get them acclimated to all of the

equipment in the shop.”

Each week 16 6th

graders a<ended

the club, which ran four weeks on

Monday aAernoons in February and

early March, from 4-5pm.

Meghan and 5th

Grade Teacher Rachel

Smith chaperoned the group. Meghan

says, “We inten�onally piloted the

program with 6th

graders because we

knew the students well. Plus, the stu-

dents were already familiar with

Garden Spot Village because they had

pen pals from Garden Spot Village last

year.”

Each Monday the students broke into

four groups and decided on their

project for the day. Larry provided

plans and materials for four projects

each week. Students chose between a

bird house, a stool, a toolbox and a

paper towel holder. Some of the

groups chose to make individual

projects and others chose to work

together on a project for the school.

For example, one group made a bird

house, which will be used in the

school courtyard, while others chose

to make individual bird houses.

Rachel says, “We were really pleased

to offer this opportunity to do some-

thing different. It’s cool to watch

them use a ruler to measure the

wood, learn about the safety of the

equipment and interact with the resi-

dents.”

New Holland Elementary Principal Jeff

Starr says, “We are blessed to have

Garden Spot Village, an invaluable

resource, just a mile and a half from

our school. We have a need—kids

thirsty for learning –and Garden Spot

Village residents have a desire to

transfer their hands-on wisdom.”

Garden Spot Village Wood Shop

donated the materials for the

projects, allowing the school to offer

the club to the students at no cost.

Because the students were so

engaged, Bob Collins invited them to

a fiAh week, this �me at the Metal

Shop. Eight students a<ended the

extra session and enjoyed demonstra-

�ons of welding, steel and sheet

metal bending and soldering.

Students working in the

Wood Shop at

Garden Spot Village

PARCR POST is to act as an informal no�fica�on of things happening in PARCR Member not-for-profit

CCRC’s with a primary focus on Residents — their ac�vi�es; par�cipa�on in events and their inclusion in de-

cisions made within their Communi�es; items of interest involving residents; Community announcements,

etc. However, the key focus is to be on Residents, and not that of Marke�ng.

NOTICE: DEADLINE FOR THE OCTOBER ISSUE OF PARCR POST IS SEPTEMBER 9. Ar9cles are accepted any-

9me prior to that date. The earlier, the beCer! However, if the maximum printable space has been

reached by the 9me your material arrives, and if appropriate, your ar9cle will be held for next edi9on of

the PARCR Post. Thank you.

Linda J. Heck

PARCR POST Editor

65 Circle Drive

Li�tz, PA 17543

red65raven@hotmail.com

J H L

This newsle?er and prior

issues are available on the

PARCR website at

www.parcr.org, under the

PARCR POST heading.

Page12 PARCRPOST5.4

325 Wesley Drive

Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

www. parcr.org

MISSION STATEMENT OF PARCR

♦ To educate and inform residents of not-for-profit retirement

communities in Pennsylvania by promoting the exchange of ideas, education,

and civic responsibilities of residents.

♦ To encourage members to seek to be a part of informed

decision- making in their community.

Revised September 2018

PARCR EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE CHANGES

Thank You: JANET POLAK , Green Ridge Village, who served as PARCR Secretary

LEON BIRD, Cross Keys Village, who served as Member-at-Large

Welcome to the following Execu9ve CommiCee members:

CHERYL RHODES, Quincy Village, Interim Secretary*

ELVIN HECK, Brethren Village, Member-at-Large

LOWELL STARLING, Bethany Village, Member-at-Large

*If you are interested in serving as PARCR Secretary, contact Ida Jeanne Smith at ijsmit@comcast.net