THEVOICE • rockfordchamber.com
October 2019
SPECIAL SECTION: Powerful Living | Workplace Wellness
17
GUEST COLUMNIST
Continuing care retirement communities DEB ADKINS Wesley Willows
Experiences learned from my hardworking mom
In 1975, my mother lost her job as the administrator of a small town hospital that closed. She began working at a community action agency, having received a $10,000 grant to start a homemaker program serving low income seniors in their homes. Thirty years later, when she retired at the age of 80, her program employed more than 100 people and served more than 700 seniors across four counties. During her last 10 years as the program director, she carried a reading device to work with her every day, and her family drove her to work. She used these “tools” because her macular degeneration was too advanced for her to read unaided or to drive. Forward to 2000 when I started my first job serving seniors as a nursing home administrator. From day one, the focus of our team was to provide the best possible experience for the individuals who came for rehabilitation or who lived out their lives there. A nursing home is the last place most people want to go, but it served a purpose supporting individuals when they are most vulnerable and most
dependent. I left that job confident I had made an impact.
Adapting to Changing Lifestyles I was privileged to become the campus administrator of a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) – a home for seniors that includes the nursing home component and so much more – assisted living, independent living and ongoing growth and development – always impacting the lives of seniors. The CCRC campus is alive with possibilities – new developments, new amenities, new programs and options for the residents to make their lives, their activities and their homes just as they want them to be. This is what a CCRC is designed to do. Perhaps the best thing about a CCRC is the peace of mind it offers -- the comforts of your own home, a close knit community, no maintenance, no snow removal or lawn care and an ongoing active lifestyle directed in great part by the individuals who live there. The essence of continuing care is not having to make the decision of where
There is research and evidence that identifies improvements in quality of life, happiness and longevity for those who live in a senior living community.
to move when your needs change – just relocating to another lifestyle. In 2006, my mom, that independent woman, widowed at 44 with four children still at home, who accomplished so much with only a high school education and a strong will, moved to the CCRC where I work. She couldn’t manage on her own, and we couldn’t stay with her. We wanted her to have a great home, care when she needed it, services and amenities galore, and an opportunity to build a life of friendships and fun. The home she moved to offered all of those things. As a family, we knew she was safe and her needs were being met. For my mom, she continued to do all of the things she had always done and when she couldn’t, there were staff to assist her. She played cards daily and bingo every week – two things she had done her entire life. I marveled at how she did it, grateful for the help of her friends. My mom passed away 10 years ago, exactly three years after moving to that senior living community. She had three great years she wouldn’t have had in her home, living life as she chose.
This personal experience exactly describes the purpose of a senior living community. It is not a place to take away the joys and interests of a person’s life – it is a place to support them and all of the changes and needs that occur as we age. Am I an expert? I spent 30 years watching my mom serve seniors. I have spent 16 years managing the day-to-day operations of a senior living community that has served thousands of seniors over the years. But, I am also a daughter whose loved one lived the experience. There is research and evidence that identifies improvements in quality of life, happiness and longevity for those who live in a senior living community. I have had the privilege of making a difference in the lives of seniors and their families – one of them just happened to be my mom. Deb Adkins is chief operating officer at Wesley Willows. The views expressed are those of Adkins’ and do not necessarily represent those of the Rockford Chamber of Commerce.
