Sydney is 3rd from the left.
Maya Angelou said once: "I've learned that people will forget what you said; people will forget what you did; but, people will never forget how you made them feel." My intern experience at Lenbrook has been fascinating. Most of all, Lenbrook made me feel like I had another home.
We're located in the vibrant Buckhead district of Atlanta, where arts, culture, and world class dining are practically in our backyard. It's kind of tough to compete with all these services and venues. But we do. Here's a look at what goes into our secret sauce hospitality – The Lenbrook Way.
Flexible Menu of Choices, Master Our Craft
A truly wonderful couple in our community recently made the difficult decision to relocate to California to be closer to family. They were part of our family for six years. We will miss them immensely. Before moving, the husband penned a heartfelt letter to me describing why they loved Lenbrook so much. With his permission, I'd like to share part of it with you.
Searching for a Community ... Twice
In his letter, he wrote:
Before I came to Lenbrook, I had to maintain a large home, buy groceries, fix my own meals and pay all the bills associated with keeping a home functioning, including utilities. It wasn't fun when my water heater broke one weekend and I couldn't get a plumber in until Monday. And when I had my total knee replacement, the three flights of stairs in my home became quite a challenge.
A resident recently commented to me, "I've been here eight years and Lenbrook looks just as beautiful today as it did my first day here." It made me smile as I headed into a budget meeting where we would be talking about the very thing that engenders a "WOW" impression when you first walk in our doors: appealing amenities. The real WOW, I’ve learned however, comes when amenities are enduring – when you are able to keep them fresh and relevant year after year.
Continuous Investment in Physical Inventory
Remember the Food Guide Pyramid? Or maybe even the Food Wheel? Guess what ... the "Pyramid" is now a "Plate." In fact, it's called "My Plate". So what's up with this new guide for how to build a balanced plate for healthier living?
What is My Plate?
For over 60 years, my parents lived in the same house in Rome, GA. Boy, talk about people who did not want to move when the time came. My dad was 93 and mom was 84. And the time came. Mom was showing signs of Alzheimer's and, for her, taking care of dad, the house and cooking had become too much.
Our Journey
My husband Richard and I had to step in and firmly guide my father to select an independent and assisted living community in Rome. He did and they moved. We assumed power of attorney and sold the family home for them.
According to an article in Psychology Today, one of the major reasons people tend to stop exercising after recently starting an exercise routine is that they do not want to experience discomfort. After reading this article, it made me wonder whether this is the reason some residents are more hesitant than others to incorporate exercise into their everyday lives. Investigating further into this, I had conversations with several residents about this.
Generally, when people think about the word "responsive" they think about quick action. However, well-known author and TED Talk speaker Simon Sinek says, “It’s better to go slow in the right direction then to go fast in the wrong direction.” It is true that the proper definition for responsive is “reacting quickly and positively.” So if we are measuring quality in our organization (which we are), shouldn’t we have a process for responding?
Anticipate the Issue
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