This year marks the beginning of what has been called “the silver tsunami” or “Peak 65,” when the greatest number of Baby Boomers will reach retirement age. In 2024, it is estimated that more than 11,000 Americans will turn 65 each day.
Understandably, today’s seniors are concerned about the cost of retirement and who will take care of them as they age. According to the Pennsylvania Health Care Association (PHCA), most people will need some form of long-term services and support in their lifetime, including assistance with daily activities such as bathing and dressing, because of a physical challenge or a cognitive impairment like Alzheimer’s disease. Furthermore, an estimated 70% of people currently turning 65 will require long-term care in their lifetime, and they will receive care for an average of three years.
As a result, according to Argentum, the leading trade association for operators of senior living communities, by 2040, there will be three million job openings in senior living. Yet, just as the demand for more senior living staff is surging to unprecedented levels, more and more caregivers are choosing to leave the profession. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, many felt overwhelmed, burned out and sought to change careers.
Helping the helpers
Senior living is a people-centered business driven by empathy. Whether in direct care, dining, activities, facility management or back-office administration, every role contributes to a resident’s lifestyle. Having emotional resiliency is especially important for those in these helping professions because supporting and serving the elderly can take a physical, emotional and mental toll on a staff’s well-being.
“Our amazing co-workers tell us the #1 reason they love working here is their relationships with the residents,” says Meredith Mills, Country Meadows Retirement Communities President and CEO. “But before you can care for someone else, you need to care for yourself. And a big part of that is by being kind to yourself. That’s why we created the ‘Be Kind to Yourself’ initiative to support those who have dedicated their careers to making life better for our residents.”
Be Kind to Yourself
This “Be Kind to Yourself” initiative aims to bring awareness to the importance of self-care for mental health. During the month of April, Country Meadows and their not-for-profit sister community, Ecumenical Retirement Community in Harrisburg, will offer tips and activities for co-workers to support their well-being and help prevent burnout.
Advice from experts
Meredith Mills is one of six company experts who share their best self-care tips. An avid potter, Mills advocates for enjoying a hobby or passion. In addition to being relaxing, hobbies also can provide time for reflection and a sense of purpose. Other tips will focus on sleep, mindfulness, nutrition, physical activity and giving yourself grace.
25 Ways to Be Kind to Yourself
The campaign shares inspiration for staff, residents and the community.
Coloring murals
Country Meadows and Ecumenical are displaying murals where co-workers can take a break, catch their breath and color a bit. Coloring can increase mindfulness and relieve stress. “It calms the brain and helps your body relax. This can improve sleep and fatigue while decreasing body aches, heart rate, respiration, and feelings of depression and anxiety,” according to the Mayo Clinic.
Campus-specific activities:
The campuses are making the “Be Kind to Yourself” theme their own by organizing their campus initiatives. In addition to purposeful kindness projects residents and staff create for the campus and community, they are setting up programs such as:
- A Compliment Board: a public display for co-workers to post notes with compliments or positive messages about their teammates
- Kindness Awards: special recognition awards for co-workers who consistently demonstrate acts of kindness in the workplace
- Buy Nothing Yard Sale Day: an exchange in which co-workers bring in used clothing, kid items, etc., for other co-workers to browse and take what they may need
- Be Kind to Yourself Relaxation Room: a quiet place for co-workers to go to for a brief reprieve
Feel Good t-shirts support Co-Worker Foundation
Last April Country Meadows and Ecumenical launched their Feel Good line of t-shirts. They are named as such for their extra soft fabric, positive message and 15% of proceeds supporting their Co-worker Foundation. This year’s shirt comes in two colors emblazoned with flowers and “Be Kind to Yourself Because You Matter” mantra. Last year, nearly $800 was raised by t-shirt sales for the Foundation. The Foundation provides grants to team members who have experienced the kind of emergencies that are difficult to plan for and even harder to recover from without outside support.
Ongoing co-worker wellness support:
- An Employee Assistance Program: If a co-worker or family member is experiencing a difficult time with stress, anxiety, depressions, family-related issues, substance abuse or other areas, the companies offer 24/7/365 support from their program partner, Mazzitti and Sullivan. In addition to multiple online resources for legal, financial, support groups and housing assistance, co-workers have access to six free, confidential sessions with a trained counselor per situation, plus any further counseling if needed thereafter.
- Wellness reimbursement: Country Meadows and Ecumenical Retirement Community are committed to helping co-workers lead healthy lifestyles by providing learning opportunities to help manage ongoing health issues, such as back pain and diabetes, through educational classes, participatory opportunities and alternative therapies. Co-workers covered by company-offered medical insurance can be reimbursed up to $100/year in specific categories like prenatal care, gym memberships, weight loss programs, smoking cessation, acupuncture, reflexology, massages, etc.
- Preventive care medical visits: The companies’ medical plan includes free wellness visits to help co-workers stay on top of their health, such as mammograms, annual physicals and prostate exams.
- A Personal Day of Meaning: In 2023, Country Meadows and Ecumenical added an extra paid day off for full-time co-workers called a Personal Day of Meaning. The intent is for co-workers to engage outside of work in an activity, event, celebration or reflection meaningful to them and use company-paid time to do so.
A legacy of compassion
Mills, the granddaughter of Country Meadows founders, Pennsylvania Governor George M. Leader and his wife Mary Jane, is the third generation to carry on the family legacy of compassion, supporting mental health and wellness.
Before beginning the family’s journey into senior care, Governor Leader was known for his commitment to human welfare. He worked to reform state mental health hospitals to provide better, more compassionate care. During his administration, the Pennsylvania State Office of Aging was established, and licensure standards for practical nurses and an inspection program for skilled nursing facilities to ensure the safety and rights of residents were enacted. Pennsylvania First Lady Mary Jane was well known for her kind, generous spirit. She encouraged everyone to perform random acts of kindness and was dedicated to purposeful service.
It is with this emphasis on well-being that Country Meadows and Ecumenical were founded. “By nurturing the body, the mind and the spirit, we believe that not only years can be added to a person’s life, but that these years can be healthy, productive and truly enjoyable,” Governor Leader said.
Country Meadows and Ecumenical programs like “Be Kind to Yourself” and their annual April celebration “Practice Random Acts of Kindness Month” in memory of Mary Jane Leader during her birth month continue the legacy of compassion that is deeply rooted in the organizations.
About Country Meadows Retirement Communities and Ecumenical Retirement Community
The family of former Pennsylvania Governor George M. and Mary Jane Leader has been providing quality retirement services for older persons since 1962. Today, the nine Country Meadows Retirement Communities in Pennsylvania and Maryland and sister community, the not-for-profit Ecumenical Retirement Community in Harrisburg, Pa., continue the Leader tradition of friendly, person-to-person caring at reasonable costs through a compassionate, well-trained and highly motivated team of professionals.