FSLA ENGAGE Summer 2023

WE ARE FAMILY

by Gail Matillo

Recently, I attended the funeral of a senior living administrator who had worked more than 35 years in the business. It was a beautiful service, and as speakers reminisced about her life and told many stories of events that happened during her career, one of the things that most impressed me was the strong sense of family among her colleagues and friends. Senior living professionals are a unique breed, and if you’re not in the business, you may not understand the joy, satisfaction and challenges we share on a regular basis.

Even though we all work for different companies, different types of communities and in different types of positions, we all care about the same thing – caring for our residents and providing them with the best services and activities that makes their lives worth living. Each of

them is to be respected for their careers, families and lives well lived. Page Ensor with Brookdale Senior Living said it best during her recent podcast: “We work with the best people with the best hearts.”

At the funeral, as I listened to the wonderful stories and accolades about this administrator’s life, everything had a central theme –dedicating our lives to something bigger than us and helping others before ourselves. Many people made similar comments about how she enjoyed meeting with friends each year during annual conferences and how much she loved her colleagues. She was a mentor, a teacher, and a great listener. She enjoyed having fun, and she respected her staff and instilled a sense of purpose for each of them no matter their position.

After the service ended, many of us gathered in the reception area to express our condolences to the family and friends. As it usually does when there are more than a few of us in one place, the conversations quickly shifted to discussions about senior living. We spent at least an hour considering some of the latest issues and how to solve problems, sharing thoughts and ideas.

Our friend will be missed terribly, but she will be remembered for shaping the lives of many leaders who will continue to follow in her footsteps. Like her, this business is in our DNA, and we live it, breathe it, and sleep it. That’s what we do, and we wouldn’t have it any other way. Being in senior living, you are part of something bigger than yourself. Consider, what kind of footprints are you setting and leaving behind?