COMMUNITY
ASSETS
Creating a sense of community inside and outside of buildings
improves health and welfare of residents—and the company
By Bryan Ochalla
FAST FORWARD
› Senior living residences
should be perceived as a
real community asset as
opposed to just a housing
environment for seniors.
WHiLe tHeRe’s PLentY OF tALKing ABOut cReAting And sustAining A sense OF cOMMunitY inside And Outside seniOR Living Residences, ActuALLY dOing sO cOuLd
get LOst On tHe neveR-ending “tO dO” List OF MOst executives.
› Invite local Chambers
of Commerce, Rotary
Clubs, etc., to meet in your
common spaces.
› Encourage residents to
hold their own meetings on-site and also volunteer their
time on and off campus.
› Getting residents
involved in new programs
may require a real team
effort. Some residents may
respond well to your director
of dining services while
others may bond with the
maintenance man.
“I don’t think it’s top of mind for some because executive directors have extremely
high-stress, high-energy jobs with so many tugs on their time,” says Jerry cooper,
who has both owned and operated assisted living communities in North Carolina
prior to serving as executive director of NCALA, the North Carolina ALFA affiliate.
Cooper now serves as senior vice president of professional affairs for ALFA.
Instead of thinking about how they can create or enhance a sense of community,
“they’re thinking, ‘We’ve got to make sure we have the right amount of staff on
all three shifts,’ ‘We’ve got to make sure we have med techs who are appropriately
trained,’ [and] ‘We’ve got to make sure the care needs of our residents are taken
care of.’”
All of which leaves many executives with little to no time to create a greater sense
of community within their buildings. “They’ve got to focus on so many front-burner
issues that it can be difficult to even consider these kinds of things,” Cooper says.
Still, taking the time to consider “community” will be time well spent. “I think
it is critical that your building is perceived as a real community asset as opposed to
just a housing environment for seniors,” suggests Cooper.
Among the benefits are happier and healthier (mentally and physically) residents,
more fulfilled staff, and a strong brand identity for the residence.
For example, Arbor terrace of Asheville, North Carolina, builds community by incorporating family events and intergenerational experiences into the building’s busy
