Success cannot always be judged by the view from the corner office
August 11, 2019
Widening the World View
September 6, 2019
As trite as it may sound and I know I am being repetitive when I say, I feel I was called to be a senior move manager. Many care managers and marketing directors I meet have worked in the senior living realm for their entire career. Until several years ago, working with seniors was not on my radar.
Truth be told, as a child, I was saddened by the aging process.
As a young Girl Scout, we would visit nursing homes and sing Christmas carols each year and I would cry. I am crier. And it doesn’t take much to bring me to tears but visiting the elderly in their beds in a nursing home broke my heart. Senior communities were institutional in those days. They smelled bad and they were downright depressing. I associated aging with these joyless, sad places.
Over the years, as I have watched my family members age (beautifully for some!), met so many fascinating older adults and visited so many outstanding senior living communities, I have come to truly appreciate and respect the aging process and see the joy that can be found throughout the later years. It is, after all, happening to all of us. Unavoidable. We can choose to relish it or resent it.
And yet, since I am not one who was called to work with seniors early in my career, I, like most humans, second guess my choice. And sometimes when I pray, I ask for a sign that I am doing the work I should be doing. When I ask for affirmation, I get, without exception, a clear sign that this is where I should be. It’s strange how it comes across, often at Mass on Sunday. It may be one of the readings, a comment from the priest during the homily, or seeing a former Customer at church who gushes over the support we provided to them or their family.
Most recently, it was 1 Timothy 6:7. For we brought nothing into this world, and we can take nothing out of it.
One of the struggles, we face daily is explaining to those we work with that the belongings they have acquired over a lifetime will not fit in their new space. Their collections carry the memories of their life, the people they have known and the places they have seen. Letting go means they can no longer be surrounded by these things. While we explain that the memories are in their hearts and minds and not in the things, it is often a hard conversation to have.
The verse from Timothy reminds me of the important role we play. Collecting things is futile as we can’t take things with us out of this world. Many Customers come to this realization on their own and they say they are ready to give much of what they have up and live simply (and safely.) However, many have acquired much and need help with the downsizing process. We gently support them in choosing priority items and bringing what fits so they can be safe and comfortable in their new space. We have been called “angels” by many of our Customers whom we accompany on this path. Hmmm…interesting.