fbpx
Living in Community

Sometimes I write about the different parts of Lutheran Services Carolinas. Today, independent living is on my mind, though much of this applies to anyone living in community.

Regularly visiting other independent living communities and our various LSC communities gives us the opportunity to identify and address trends and items that are relevant to all our communities. Recent visits with LeadingAge and to Trinity Oaks in Salisbury and Trinity Landing in Wilmington led me to share a bit more about living in community. Independent living communities have their own unique issues, much different from other senior services, and one size does not fit all. And all IL communities are not the same.  Just like people, every community has its own personality.

IL residents are generally younger, healthier, and are paying their own way. They also have a great deal of choice over where they want to live. Choice is the first decision. Moving into a community comes with many benefits, but also with many changes. For those who have chosen an LSC community, we want to continue to earn their trust every day.

Seniors who are well may decide to live in their own home and have near total control and total authority, while seniors who are well and choose to move into a community have decided to give up some of that autonomy for the other benefits. Those who chose to live at an LSC community have all decided this option was more beneficial to them: having someone else provide a safer environment, having others be responsible for their home maintenance and groundskeeping, having much of their food provided, having exciting activities coordinated, and having access to a continuum of health care as needed, etc.

Just like all people and all situations, change is easier for some than others. Since many of us may not have lived in a community since college, this is a big change. Likewise, giving up some control after a lifetime of control is a big change!

Everything seems even harder today since polarization and social media have made it acceptable for all of us to have an opinion and to share that opinion. My mother hammered on us, “if you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything.” Modern society seems to encourage us to express our disagreements, and even to vilify anyone who disagrees with us.

LSC offers us a different way, The LSC Way, rooted in our vision, mission, and values. The LSC Way is collaborative. Residents/clients, families, teammates, and our friends all have the opportunity to weigh in on anything they want to. LSC even has a Guaranteed Fair Treatment Process. Having these programs does not mean we always get our way, but it means we are genuinely heard and considered in the decision-making process.

The main way LSC listens, and acts, is through its satisfaction survey system. Every resident/client, responsible family member, and teammate is surveyed at least annually. Each community and LSC spend all year addressing the annual results. We’ll never get there, but we’ll keep striving for perfection.

For our independent living communities, the Resident Council is the way the entire community has a say on anything it wants to have a say on. Our individual community executive directors have a perpetually open door to hear from any resident about their personal needs and opinions, but the Resident Council structure is the primary way residents can share their collective input. With that input, community leadership will make their decisions as the management staff of the organization. Generally, every organization has one or a few people, who think they know what’s best for the other residents and for the whole organization.

A friend of mine who operates a retirement community in another state told me recently about a resident who was a retired flag officer in the U. S. military who sent them a two-page letter on why the executive director was not a good leader. He thought he knew better how to run a retirement center. LSC needs to hear from everyone, including those who have different opinions. Through the Resident Council system, residents can share their wisdom as mothers, business owners, professionals, and experts. We need all the input we can get on matters of concern to the residents. Then our job is to provide residents with the community and home they and the community agreed to in their agreement.

LSC executive directors and their teams have an open door.  It would be a shame to let a concern stew until the satisfaction survey.  Residents should feel free to bring any concern to any member of our team.  They can get them to the right place, and our goal is to constantly aim to please.  It is extremely rare that a regulator can help; that generally just takes staff away from doing their jobs.  Recently, we had a resident who hadn’t even moved in yet call a state agency and request their deposit back.  Thankfully, the state agency called us as a first step, and we in turn shared that person had not even requested their money back.  The state referred the person back to us, and we proactively reached out to see if they wanted their deposit back in accordance with their agreement.  They did and we did.  Direct dealing is always best.

I recently wrote about LSC’s Dignity and Respect Policy. Derived from our vision, mission, and values, the policy helps guide how we treat each other. Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect at all times. That is The LSC Way!