From a Different Point of View
Because I work in the field of senior living, I’ve been able to visit quite a few senior living communities. During those visits, I’m usually focused on events, working with the media, involved in meetings or interviewing residents for upcoming news releases. You enter into those communities with a different mindset than the general public.
Just before Thanksgiving, my 85-year-old father fell, broke his wrist and cracked his pelvis. He is now undergoing rehabilitative care in a nursing home in my hometown. I remember visiting that nursing home when I was in high school. Our choir sang songs to the residents over the holidays. I didn’t know any of the residents back then. Now, I do. It’s my dad.
Because I now have a loved one living in a community, I noticed I’m suddenly paying attention to things I didn’t before. In particular, how caring and patient the staff is with the residents. These are the individuals who are there around the clock, making sure the residents are doing their physical therapy, eating properly, etc. It takes a special person to extend their love of working with people to make the residents feel at home.
I always knew the staff members at these senior living communities were there and doing their jobs — it now just hits a bit closer to home regarding how truly important they are. So, a big thank you to all the staff at senior living communities everywhere. For those of us adult children who can’t be there, day in and day out, you give us invaluable peace of mind.
How very true. My parents moved to a retirement community 13 years ago as the young active ones, helping the older ones, contributing to the daily workings of the community, in the independant living cottages. Now, my mother has become very ill, and is in the skilled nursing section, and my dad is still in their independent living home. Like the author above, it has given me a completely different perspective. I am SO grateful for the staff whose compassion is unmatched, and I think it has made me a better executive director in many ways. Thanks for the post.
[...] From a Different Point of View [...]
Randy, this is a good reminder for me — I’m in the Communications Department at the corporate office, and most of my marketing interactions are with the marketing staff at our various communities, usually via phone, email, or meetings here at corporate. These marketers’ insights are important, but they should not replace the perspective of actual residents and actual prospects, which I experience only when I take the time to actually visit our communities. It’s easy to give that up when I get busy, but it makes such a difference when I have personal, on-site interactions to draw from. Thanks for the encouragement to get away from my keyboard and do more face-to-facing in the coming year!