Breaking the ice Cultivating friendships in retirement living.

BREAKING THE ICE

Welcome programs help newcomers feel at home in new surroundings.

BEING NEW IN A SENIOR LIVING community can feel a little like the first day at a new school. Your surroundings are unfamiliar, and you haven’t yet made a new circle of friends. Don’t worry. Senior living communities offer a range of orientation programs to help you get acclimated.

At Shenandoah Valley Westminster-Canterbury in Winchester, a welcome committee oversees a program designed to ensure newbies get comfortable. “Each resident is assigned a mentor who keeps in close contact with their new person over the first couple of months,” Kitty Zuckerman, communications and marketing specialist, explains. “They invite them out for meals and introduce them to other residents with whom they think they might have something in common.” A mini bio sheet announcing new folks is distributed campuswide, so longtime residents can be on the lookout for newcomers and offer a warm welcome. Zuckerman notes that “new residents say how friendly everyone is and how welcome they feel.”

At Brandon Oaks in Roanoke, new residents are assigned a floor representative to help set up cable channels and voicemail, says Beth Herndon, resident services director. And “resident ambassadors” guide newcomers through a three-week welcome program. “They meet with the new person, give them a tour, introduce them to residents, have dinner and invite them to participate in activities,” Herndon says. —By E.C.

NABORFORCE LENDS A HELPING HAND

Filling the gap with "backup sons and daughters."

RICHMONDER PAIGE WILSON says that America is experiencing an “age wave.” As the number of older adults increases each year, elders will need helpful services to support the lives they enjoy living. That’s why Wilson created Naborforce in 2018, a service dedicated to helping seniors maintain connections to others, a sense of independence, and an engaged, productive lifestyle. “We call ourselves ‘backup sons and daughters,’” Wilson says.

In the past, immediate family members were caregivers for their elders, but today’s adult children and grandchildren are scattered farther afield and leading busy lives. Naborforce fills the care gap by employing “Nabors” to help their clients “live a life of joy,” Wilson says.

Whether it’s a trip to the store, taking a walk, changing a smoke detector battery, or wrangling a fitted sheet onto the bed, Nabors provide the companionship and assistance older adults need. When clients—or their children—line up a Nabor visit online, Naborforce will dispatch one of nearly 1,000 Nabors across their current markets, which now include Richmond, Charlottesville, Raleigh, Durham, and Bethesda.

For families who live far away from their elderly parents, a service like Naborforce gives them peace of mind, and for those who live nearby but are not always available, Wilson says, “It’s okay to ask for help. Four hours a week can relieve caregiver burnout.’”

Naborforce client Pat Patterson, 89 and living on her own, sees it that way, too. While her son and daughter live in Richmond, Patterson says, “They’ve got their lives and they help out as much as they can, but I call Naborforce ‘my security’...if I didn’t have them, I would be sitting around with a long face.”

While Patterson no longer drives, she loves to get out of the house; so she calls Naborforce for trips to the hair salon, medical appointments, shopping trips, or even just to drive around. “They are wonderful. The service means a lot to me and to my children.” Naborforce.com —By E.C.

SAILING PAST THE 'NEWCOMER' DAYS

 Attend events and performances. Sit next to someone else who is alone and say hello.  At meals, find a table with empty chairs and introduce yourself to others. People are happy to include you in their conversation.  Be a joiner. Check the activity schedule for fitness classes, discussion groups, and special events to meet like-minded people.  Ask others for help finding places like where to mail a letter or get a snack. Simple conversation starters can open the door to new friendships.