AmeriCorps have been serving our residents at Charter Arms, Neumann North, Reading Elderly and Courtyard Apartments for the past year.
During their tenure, they worked to minimize social isolation within our senior communities by engaging with at risk seniors individually, creating programs that fostered community and togetherness, and developing personal improvement plans for residents struggling with conflict resolution and other issues.
Chelsea Robinson, an AmeriCorps member serving our Neumann North residents wanted to share her story about Ms. Judy, one of the more socially isolated seniors:
“I noticed immediately that she was very withdrawn, often wandering the building with a constant look of concern on her face. She endured many physical and emotional challenges in her past, and it left her in a state of chronic distress and inability to communicate properly. Our approach was to teach her the importance of self care in a safe, nurturing environment. We provided her with tools to help manage her stressors, open up to socialization, and improve her communication skills.
By the completion of our program, Ms. Judy experienced quite a transformation. She was smiling more, and joining other residents in community events. She expressed deep gratitude for providing her with an opportunity to better manage her burdens, and swill continue to use the tools she’s learned to strive for resiliency.”
This is one of the many resident impact stories resulting from our collaboration with AmeriCorps.
We look forward to sharing more stories like this one in the coming weeks.