 |
||
|
One of the key players in CVC’s success is Elizabeth Shier. Elizabeth joined us almost three years ago as an Activity Assistant. She quickly assumed the title of Activity Director, and after two years of building on and expanding the depth and quality of the activity program, she recently decided to devote her tremendous talent and energy to the oversight of CVC’s Memory Care Community. Elizabeth credits her career growth the encouragement and support she feels both from her CVC colleagues and the Chateau organization as a whole. “In many ways, Chateau is a unique work environment in that it fosters career growth and makes it safe for employees to take on new roles and job challenges, such as the large responsibility of directing Memory Care.” To meet Elizabeth is to meet a boundless well of enthusiasm, energy, creativity and professional dedication. For Elizabeth, enriching the daily lives of the residents she serves is more of a vocation than a job. As Activity Director, her vision for the program was to create a diverse array of events and activities that, in her words, “could not be found at your typical retirement community.” Additionally, as Activity Director, she felt it was her duty to exceed resident expectations. “While at the end of the day my duty was to foster a sense of fun and playfulness for our residents, I was also convinced that my job was to stretch, stimulate and challenge, not just placate,” says Elizabeth. Elizabeth constantly collaborated with residents to create new and exciting activities. As resident Shirley Bruce puts it, “Our activity program is unbeatable. If you want to go somewhere or try something new, we know we can ask our Activity Director to try it and she will.” Working and collaborating with residents on a daily basis is a natural extension of Elizabeth’s earlier career working with children. “What I loved about working with kids, I also love about older adults “Both early and later in life, values are clear and unfettered. You can learn a lot about friendship, interpersonal relationships and genuine kindness from people at both ends of the age spectrum. And it goes without saying, kids and seniors don’t take any bull from anyone—I admire that!” These insights are key to Elizabeth’s philosophy for Memory Care. “The residents we serve in Memory Care still have much to teach us.” Elizabeth made the move because she wanted to demystify some of the misunderstandings around dementia and make the community more approachable and accessible. “When we spend time with a dementia resident, we bring joy to their life and they can bring joy to ours,” she says. |
||
