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By Kristin Sullivan

At the Sequoias, a senior assisted living center in San Francisco, local merchants have stepped in to make it easier than ever for residents to get the basic items they need without leaving home.

Jim Kirk, the owner of the local branch of Batteries Plus, for example, visits the community the first Tuesday of every month to take care of residents’ battery needs, saving them a trip to the store.
 
“It is a wonderful service not to have to leave the building looking for a store and instead get the personal attention right here,” says Adi Tzur, the director of activities at The Sequoias. “Although many residents are independent and capable of getting out, for some it is not an easy task, and for all it is a treat to have Jim come here.”

Batteries, although often something taken for granted, are vital components of some of the items seniors use every day, including wheelchairs, hearing aides, cell phones, watches, remote controls and keyless entry cards. In fact, the idea for inviting Kirk to visit the community came directly from a resident.

“One of our residents happened to walk into the store on Bush Street, spoke to Mr. Kirk and then came to me suggesting we have a monthly service here, and I was happy to arrange that,” Tzur says.

The staff at The Sequoias has invited other merchants to take part in their program too. The local public library, for example, sends a bookmobile on a regular basis, and the local college offers art, computer and exercise classes on site. It’s an easy concept for other communities to duplicate, and it benefits both the residents and the vendors.

“The vendors get more business, directly from the residents and indirectly,” Tzur says. “Residents recommend family members or friends to use the service, and staff is exposed to the service too. Plus, the residents enjoy receiving the services in a safe, comfortable and simple way.”

For more information on The Sequoias, please visit their website.

By Kristin Sullivan

At The Mayflower Retirement Community in Winter Park, Fla., residents have come together to knit afghan blankets and lap robes for injured soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

“Each one is different; there are rows of beds (at veterans hospitals), and having the lap robe identifies the bed,” says resident Eleanor McKechnie, who founded the knitting group. “They are all different sizes too; some are big, some are small. Some are afghans too. Mostly lap robe size though.”

To date, McKechnie and her fellow residents have sent more than a hundred blankets to the VA hospital in San Diego, where many young veterans are recovering. McKechnie’s own daughter, Elizabeth, is a former Navy officer who lives in San Diego and volunteers for a women’s organization that provides volunteer services to local VA hospitals, which is where the idea for the program originated. McKechnie’s group also donates thousands of homemade stuffed animals, many of which come from seniors who don’t like to knit.

“I don’t think the veterans and the wounded are getting the support they did back in World War II,” McKechnie says. “I don’t think the soldiers should be put on the back page of the paper. We lived through World War I; we lived thru Vietnam; and we know what our troops went through then. As a country we aren’t supporting our troops like we should.”

The program, which would be easy for residents in other communities to duplicate, is helpful for the soldiers and inspiring for the seniors.

“Volunteering,” says McKechnie, “is good for people’s mind and soul.”

For more information on The Mayflower, please visit their website.

At Martins Run, a continuing care retirement community just outside Philadelphia (in Media, Pa.), the community offers an English as a second language program for employees, during their lunch hours and breaks, to help facilitate better communications with residents.
 
“The program started in response to several requests by housekeepers,” says Marian Levine, the community’s vice president of human resources. “The Delaware County Healthcare Employers Consortium also requested to initiate the program as a means of improving the communication skills of direct care healthcare workers, which had been an ongoing issue across many senior living facilities. In particular, the language barrier was an issue because for many caregivers, English was not their primary language and they lacked proficiency in reading English as well.”
 
The program, which began in 2006, is funded by Pennsylvania’s Department of Labor and averages 10 students a year. It’s held twice a week September through June.
 
“We have found that the staff is better able to understand and communicate with the residents, and vice versa,” Levine says. “It also helps allows for smoother communication between staff members.  The English as a second language program helps the staff provide better service due in part to an improvement in literacy and language skills. They are able to fulfill their roles more efficiently and provide a higher level of satisfaction in the eyes of the residents.”
 
There has been a tangible change among staffers who have gone through the program, Levine says, which might make this a positive program to implement in other communities.
 
“There is a definite change in the attitude of those staff members who take the class,” Levine says. “They are less shy and more outgoing after completing the program and more willing to speak to residents and other staff alike, not just as part of their job obligation but also in friendly conversation. They were more likely to greet colleagues, managers, and residents with new confidence.”

For more information on Martins Run, please visit their website.