As we near the end of National Assisted Living week, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on the people who work day in and day out to make sure that Autumn Leaves is so much more than just an Assisted Living community. As COO Joe Jasmon remarked recently on Chicago’s AM560 “Aging In America” radio program, memory care is not just something “on the menu” at our communities; it IS the menu. From the highly personalized care down to the physical design of our communities, our goal is to provide a safe and welcoming home for people with memory care needs, but more than that, we strive to foster moments of clarity and joy each day for our residents. Just because someone has dementia or Alzheimer’s does not mean that they no longer look for a sense of purpose; that desire is very much alive in them. They still have so much more to give, to do, to experience… it is our job to create a safe environment where those things can happen. And it all begins with truly getting to know our residents; what do they love, what makes them laugh, what brought them joy before their diagnosis. We want to celebrate the person they have always been.
You’ll see that manifested in a number of different ways each day at Autumn Leaves community. A culinary team member makes a resident a meal from his or her old family recipes to help bring back memories of sitting around the dinner table with their loved ones. Or a Life Engagement Manager may take a former violin teacher to the local symphony for a night of music. A caregiver might call upon their knowledge of the resident’s past working nightshifts to find calming evening activities when they are restless. Recently, a resident who finds great joy in helping others assisted one of our maintenance managers in putting together a new vacuum cleaner. These may seem like insignificant things to us, but for them, it can mean the world. For just a few minutes, the fog lifts and they are present. That is why we do what we do. Those moments are far bigger and more important than a clock can measure.
But those moments cannot happen without the entire Autumn Leaves team working together towards a common goal. From the community teams to the home office, we each contribute our talent and compassion toward the bigger mission of caring. Our residents are our family. Autumn Leaves is their home. When we come to work each day, we are walking into their front door.
Thank you for being part of our family and for sharing your time and hearts with all of us!
