Raise your hand if you love hearing stories about how your staff make a resident’s day, particularly when it occurs organically, if you will, by the employee simply being who she is. I know…me too. That’s why I couldn’t resist sharing these two stories in our blog and how we engage residents in senior living fitness programs.
Our organizational structure is such that we hire exceptionally capable, qualified, and passionate staff who we train well. When they’re ready, we set them off at their client location to do their work. Certainly, we provide a host of supports, ongoing training, and other touch points, but it’s tough for me to keep track of their day to day challenges and victories when they are far flung in 22 states with more than 60 clients. So when these two stories got back to me, I simply had to give this shout out!
Story #1: Winning over the residents
When we first start working with a new senior living client and we place one of our fitness center managers onsite at the community, we sometimes get pushback from a small group of vocal residents about the information we require of them prior to helping them with an exercise program. Industry standards through the American College of Sports Medicine establish that sound practice involves gathering relevant health information, securing a signed waiver, and getting a medical release where appropriate. If we get push back from residents, it’s typically with the waiver and a common objection to the industry standard language we use.
This story comes from that exact circumstance where a small group of residents had protested our use of a release for the fitness program. While we were in discussion with leadership at the community about NIFS practices, and how the community wanted to proceed, our manager, Ali, continued to do what she does.
She worked with the early adopters providing senior fitness testing, individualized exercise programs and guidance, and continued to follow up with those participants about their progress and any questions they have. She offered creative group exercise classes and continued to enroll residents in those programs. She focused in on improving resident’s balance through both class and 1:1 settings, and she continued to help participants track their progress as their strength and balance improved.
Meanwhile, the residents did what residents do. They talked to their friends and neighbors. Those who were engaged in the new fitness programming with the NIFS fitness center manager talked about how much better they felt, how they could tell their balance was improving, and how easy the manager was to work with.
And then those initial naysayers started thinking that they might be missing out on something really positive going on in the community. So, within a few weeks of raising strong objections to our paperwork, those most vocal opponents put aside their concerns, completed the paperwork, and started receiving the same positive health benefits that their friends and neighbors had been experiencing. We’re grateful for the opportunity to serve more residents in the community, and I’m completely tickled that it all came about simply because the NIFS manager kept doing what she’s amazing at with those who were ready.
Story #2: Keeping fitness accessible for residents
The second story is one of those “well, duh” moments. The action our staff member took in response to a resident need is truly a no-brainer. But I say that and I know that I may not have arrived at that simple action which has definitely resulted in improved quality of life for that individual. Rachel made this resident’s day simply by being who she is – a creative problem solver who is passionate about helping the residents enjoy very active living.
When Rachel learned that one of their formerly regular participants stopped exercising, she wanted to get to the bottom of it. Turns out, the resident was unable to use the check in scanner because of a low vision condition, so she simply stopped attending group exercise classes. After Rachel learned about the barrier, she worked with the resident to place a small piece of adhesive felt to the membership tag and taught the resident how to orient the felt in front of the scanner for a successful check in. That resident was able to feel her way to a successful fitness center check in and removing that barrier was enough to pull her back into group exercise classes twice each (and every) week.
As a fitness staffing agency, we are fully committed to hiring and holding onto exceptional staff who are not only knowledgeable but also passionate about the audience they serve. Click the button below to read more about how we do that, and then contact us to learn how we can work together to boost your community's fitness program.
