When it comes to major life decisions, many people think about the questions that come up early in life, like whether to attend college, start a family, or buy a house. But there’s another set of decisions that need to be made later in life that they are no less important or difficult — yet we often don’t get around to them until forced to make a quick choice.
The staff at Summit Place Assisted Living are starting those conversations and giving people the information they need to be more deeply informed. Their new series of community enrichment meetings, called ‘Light Up Your Mind,’ are designed to bring seniors together with the people who love and care for them, and spread some education. The series is overseen by Director of Nursing and Executive Director Elizabeth Martin.
With her local roots, it’s no surprise that Martin is driven to serve the community that has surrounded her from the start. She graduated from Meridian High School and has been in the medical field for 20 years. “It’s really gratifying to be able to give back to the community and serve these people,” Martin says. “They have so much life experience and so much energy and sass — it’s really fun.”
Martin’s service isn’t confined just to her clients, as she often interacts with their family members, as well. It happens so often that it inspired the ‘Light Up Your Mind’ events as a way to answer tough questions about subjects like dementia. Common questions include: “How do I interact with my mom, who is going to forget what I say in five seconds and ask me the same question over again?” And: “My dad has congestive heart failure; how can I help him live the best life he can live?”
Martin stresses that while sitting down one-on-one can feel intimidating to many, doing so in a group setting often feels much more comfortable, since it lets folks know they’re not alone.
The first ‘Light Up Your Mind’ event was available only to the residents of Summit Place, but future gatherings will be open to all members of the local community.
“One thing we learned with COVID is that we missed that community feeling. We’ve seen depression and cognitive impairments skyrocket because people are meant to be social,” Martin says. “We want to engage not just the Summit Place community — or even just the senior community — but as a Whatcom County community.”
Summit Place Executive Assistant and Community Relations Director Christina Williams is helping to spread the word about the series. The first event showed Williams the value of addressing tough, deeply personal questions with a lighter touch. “It’s important for us to bring in engaging guest speakers because we want it to be fun.”
That first event, led by Adrienne Wellendorf, clinical liaison for Eden Home Health, covered fall prevention and transfer safety. “[Attendees] were really engaged and asking her questions, and she demonstrated things for them,” says Williams.
It’s this type of physical and visual engagement that those involved in the series hope will continue to draw people in.
The meetings take place every other month and feature a different guest speaker. The next event in the ‘Light Up Your Mind’ series, scheduled for April, will address dementia. Future topics are still being decided.
“A topic like advance directives doesn’t just pertain to seniors, it pertains to everybody in the community,” Williams says. “We’ll have topics like chronic pain management, heart health, and hospice. And we’re definitely open to requests.”
For anyone interested in attending, learning more, or suggestion future series topics, please contact Christina Williams at marketing@mtbakercarecenter.com.
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