David Ammons
David Ammons is president of Retirement Living Associates, Inc. (RLA), a company which provides planning, development, marketing, and management services for new and existing retirement communities. He has worked in and with Senior Living Communities since his graduation from Wake Forest University in 1985.
In this issue, Darden Coe, Springmoor’s Public Relations & Media and Relocation Transition Coordinator, shares an article she recently wrote for Springmoor Life Care Retirement Community, although I am confident this type of Friend and Neighbor exists in most retirement communities.
FAMILY is a single word, with many different meanings. People have many ways of defining a family and what being a part of a family means to them. Families differ in terms of economic, cultural, social, and many other facets, but what every family has in common is that the people who call it a family are making clear that those people are important in some way to the person calling them family.
–Michelle Blessing, lovetoknow http://family.lovetoknow.com/about-family-values/meaning-family
Springmoor has many networks of families, often reaching out to help one another. With big hearts and a generous spirit, they want no recognition. Like family, you don’t need to ask for help; they know. The extended family may be living next door or across the hall, upstairs or in the house at the end of the cul-de-sac. Their good deeds do not go unnoticed.
Welcome. At Springmoor, a new resident is often greeted with a plateful of “the best cheese wafers ever made. No one makes them like she does with a touch of red pepper. They are delicious!”
If you have a temporary stay in the Health Center, you may find this same generous neighbor bringing you your newspaper. No one asked; she just appears each morning.
Delivery. When a resident returns to his/her apartment after outpatient surgery, the neighbors line up (along with the Springmoor staff) to bring meals from the dining room. One neighbor had told the out-of-town family that she would take over after they departed.. She quickly found that everyone on the hall wanted to take a day so she found herself being the coordinator instead of the provider.
Drivers. Springmoor schedules one of its drivers to take a resident to a doctor’s appointment for cataract surgery; however, a friend insisted that she drive and stay with her neighbor for her surgery. The two left at 5 a.m. to arrive at Duke’s Eye Center in Durham.
Dog Walkers. After a recent hip replacement, neighbors volunteered to walk the resident’s dog. Now the couple comes each morning for a stroll with the new furry friend of their neighbor.
Gardeners. If you find a bag full of garden fresh tomato on your doorstep you know that one of Springmoor’s gardeners has stopped by. There is nothing better than a fresh homegrown tomato sandwich! Squash, zucchini, cucumbers, and peppers are also often left at a neighbor’s door.
Bakers. You may run into a neighbor on a walk to the mailbox. If she has a tin filled with homemade cookies, you know that she has been baking and wanted to bring a smile to your face. Last spring, she delivered 66 hot cross buns to friends and neighbors.
Neighbors are family at Springmoor. A helping hand is never far away when friends are down the hall or across the street. Fresh tomatoes, a library book, a friend to take you to a doctor’s appointment or a batch of fresh baked cheese wafers is the Springmoor way of saying you are family.
If you would like to learn more about Springmoor, schedule a tour and meet a few of our family members. We invite you to visit soon.