“Walk a mile in my shoes
Hey before you abuse, criticize and accuse
Walk a mile in my shoes”
We all know of Elvis Presley. He sang a song called: “Walk a mile in my shoes”
Through my eyes:
I was reading this morning about how someone related to another or their situation. A man was sent to live on earth, so that He could have a similar experience and it really made me think, If only we would all take a step back… and relate……
My reading went on to talk about someone that in order to help his staff of young architects understand the needs of those they designed senior housing for, he sent them on “sleepovers.” They put on pajamas and spend 24 hours in a senior living center in the same conditions as people in their 80s and 90s. They wore earplugs to simulate hearing loss, taped their fingers together to limit manual dexterity, and exchanged eyeglasses to replicate vision problems. He said that the biggest benefit was when he sent these young twenty something year olds out; they came back with a heart 10 times as big. They met people and understood their plights.
Now let me tell you a story – true story about a couple that spent two years traveling to other senior communities to see what did and didn’t work in those communities so they could make a place that they could be very proud of to serve the senior community in their area as well as their own parents, family and friends.
We all have them – seniors –whether it is a grandparent, a mother, a father, an aunt, an uncle, a brother, a sister, or a friend. Ours is a community filled with many advantages for our seniors. From walking trails, a catch and release pond, to well lit apartments and common area rooms, to outlets in the wall that are higher so that your loved one isn’t bending over so far that they might fall, extra wide halls, to railings down each hallway with benches strategically placed in case they need to sit for a minute, each hall having a distinct colored handrail and border for easy recognition, centralized community rooms for socializing and easy access with lots of windows to open up the rooms and let the light in. Parkwood is a place that they can truly feel at home. A very caring staff is carefully chosen to exemplify the unifying principles of our community. Parkwood Heights was built to overcome the obstacles seniors currently face in their current living situations while maintaining independence and increasing quality of life. Whether they choose to live in the Patio homes, villas or the apartments, we are a community that cares. Everyone can be active and social with the choices of activities that are available. Being part of our community promotes socialization to relieve loneliness, activities and outings to stimulate the mind and body, healthy meals to nourish, housekeeping to help them feel less encumbered with chores and freedom to enjoy, and transportation to relieve them from the stress of driving.
This couple walked that mile! They understood what our seniors need! Thank you Mark, Pat and Craig for acting on that vision! And thank you Richard, Bill and Darryl for believing in that vision!
Thank you Shari for such a wonderful article. Your years of dedication to our residents has helped us make Parkwood Heights the wonderful place that it has become.