Suzanne: And welcome everyone to Answers for Elders Radio Network. And we are back again with Mallory Mixdorf, who is the Era Living Resident & Family Supportive Programs Director. That’s a big title, girlfriend.
Mallory Mixdorf: It is, it’s a mouthful.
Suzanne: You have a master’s degree in licensed social work, and having your role is a big part of what makes Era Living who they are. You guys spend a lot of time in wellness, and making sure people have a good foundational sense of well-being. And I think that’s the important thing. Tell us a little bit, when you say resident and family support programs, what does that mean?
Mallory Mixdorf: Yeah, it’s basically what it sounds like. We provide mental health and support services to all of our residents as well as their families, as much as needed. As residents transition into our communities, or even if they’ve been there for a long time and are facing other life transitions, all of our communities have a licensed mental health professional to help that resident or their families navigate those changes, which is something that’s really unique to Era Living.
Suzanne: It is, because I remember when my mom moved into senior living, her first experience, she was angry with me, the daughter, that’s very common, right? It’s before she really got acclimated and I always am grateful because we were able to get with the counselor, but it was not part of the community. But it helped us and really what was coming from her is she didn’t want to burden me and she didn’t want to be you know, and I was going, why are you so cranky and angry with me? I’m trying to do the right thing. And in actuality, that wasn’t a burden at all, and we had to really talk it through. I mean, I’m sure we’re pretty much common that goes on a lot. Does it not?
Mallory Mixdorf: It does. There’s a lot of feelings that happen when families move on the resident side. The one who’s actually moving in, on the family side maybe it’s siblings or their kids and their adult kids that are facilitating the transition for them, and maybe it’s before the resident feels ready, or is willing to admit that maybe they need a change. And anger is usually one of the first emotions that bubbles up, family being betrayed too.
Suzanne: And it’s a cover for fear. I remember my mom did not want to burden me and she realized that now she was “stuck” with this situation. That was how she viewed it. And I was going, “Mom for the first time in my life. I get to have you all to myself. I mean, this is a big deal for me. This is a gift to me,” and she kind of looked at me like, really? So it was interesting that I had to learn to work with her in another way. And I think the other thing is, families don’t necessarily know how to work in the best way to be supportive of their loved ones through this time. And I’m sure you’re finding that, with like you talked about with siblings. So tell us a little bit about how that works with a living and how you work through that process.
Mallory Mixdorf: Absolutely. So, once the resident goes through their intake with our community relations team and our wellness team, and they’re ready to move in, our counselors will make an effort to meet with the residents pretty shortly after they move in. So whether it’s a formal meeting or informal — it depends on the counselor’s approach and the community’s culture. But we really try to sit down with those residents and learn about what makes them tick and validate their concerns. A lot of times, maybe it wasn’t their first choice to move. And so listening to them and, just again, validating that experience. On the other end of the spectrum, there’s residents who come in really ready to go. They’re so excited about this change. They’re ready to let go of the responsibilities. They’re ready to fill their day with enriching activities, have someone cook for them, meet folks that are just down the hall, are ready for these wrap-around services, and counselors. And those aspects can kind of help introduce them to more of the programming, the liaison for the community.
Suzanne: If couples come in, sometimes one couple is gung ho, and the other one’s kind of like, I’m not so sure about this, but that happens a lot, too. Does it not?
Mallory Mixdorf: Yeah, I mean the couples are a family unit, but they’re two individuals, and they may have very different approaches and perspectives on what’s going on. And so that’s another great thing that the counselors can do is, again, provide that space to listen, and provide space for the the residents to receive counseling as a family if necessary to help navigate those changes, or the rifts that maybe are growing in the different perspectives can cause some strain in a relationship. So the counselors are really there to help navigate and mitigate.
Suzanne: That’s awesome. So when a family meets with the counselor, what happens in that process?
Mallory Mixdorf: Lots of different things. I mean, really, a lot of times as the family is wrapping their head around the fact that this person is available to them. Like you said, in your experience, that wasn’t an option, you had to go outside. And so I think families are just learning about what the counselors do, what their role is, and how they can help, and what resources they can provide. So a lot of times it’s just a learning process for the families, to help support their loved ones best. And then a lot of times encouraging their loved ones to use the services of the counselor.
Suzanne: I can only think about a caregiver, family caregiver, how overwhelmed they may have felt before this time. And now they’re trying to — I remember them telling me when it was time for my mom, they said I don’t want you to come back for a week. Your mom needs to adjust the community, and it was hard for me to let go. I mean, that is very common as well. Is it not?
Mallory Mixdorf: It is. It is. And something that’s really special about our counselors is that we provide support groups for residents, and their families are welcome to attend the support groups, but really, the focus is on the residents. One of our support groups is actually a caregiver support group. So for a lot of those couples that come in, oftentimes one of the pair is the caregiver. So they can take the space away from the one that they care for. Sit with like minded folks and peers who are in a similar situation. They can learn from each other, they can talk, they can share stories in a space that feels safe.
Suzanne: And being able to know that you have a voice, it’s everything. It’s like when you guys talk a lot about your life enrichment programs, you meet with the residents and you ask them what they want to experience. They have a voice. And I think this is really amazing and that’s part of the ability that you have because you are locally owned and you’re managed and you have this footprint of — although you serve King County very well, you’re able to do these things because you have the ability to mobilize. And I think that’s one of the things that really makes you unique. It’s that intimate experience of knowing that wherever I am, I’m heard. And that’s, that’s an emotional need that’s so valuable. So how tell us a little bit, Mallory, about when you meet with the family, they can access your service any time pretty much?
Mallory Mixdorf: Yeah. So the counselors are available during business hours at our communities. But if families are looking for more of like a wrap around service that can provide extra support, we do have a program called Almost like Family.
Suzanne: That’s what I was gonna ask you.
Mallory Mixdorf: I’m happy to talk all about it, I love this. So it is an ancillary service that we do offer residents and families who are interested in something like this. It’s a case management program where residents or families can sign up and receive — There’s two prongs really to the program. One is companionship visits. So for residents who maybe their families, there’s a number of reasons why they may need companionship visits, maybe their families live far away, they’re busy, you know, our culture is very go go go. We don’t always have time for our families the way maybe we did decades ago. And so for residents who need that extra support to prevent isolation, which is, I’m sure you’ve heard is an epidemic in the the senior population. So to provide the service where we have staff, who are dedicated solely to this role, come in and spend time with residents and just engage them in things that bring those residents joy, whether it’s talking about their past, going on walks, joining the life enrichment activities together, kind of calling them, pulling them out of their apartments, getting them more engaged in the community. That’s the companionship aspect.
The other aspect is the medical escorts. So for residents who may need help getting to and from doctors appointments, don’t always know how to navigate the medical system, or for times when they, God forbid, have to go to the emergency department, we have someone on call 24/7 to help get them to their medical appointments, meet them at the hospital should they have a fall, or some other medical emergency, especially in those times when families aren’t available at the drop of a hat to drive an hour or two to the hospital.
Suzanne: And really, having somebody that can help ask the questions, or help facilitate things like that — also when I would leave a doctor’s appointment, my mom would say the doctor said this, I don’t understand what that meant. Having someone to be there with you through that process means everything. And it also helps in the care overall, the well-being physically as well.
Mallory Mixdorf: Absolutely. Yes. There have been studies that have shown that there’s significant improvements in the residents’ quality of life if they are engaged in programs like this, like you said, where they do have a better understanding of what actually happened in that doctor’s appointment. Follow up, helping them schedule for follow up, helping them understand, take notes for them, communicate to the family. So the families are in the loop, and just making sure they get to and from — a lot of times residents don’t have cars, they don’t know how to use Uber. And so we’re there to help them get to and from, so they don’t have to worry about that aspect.
Suzanne: And that’s so important, and I know that we may think as family members, we don’t even realize that the staff is here for us as well. And I think that’s the thing that is so important, that you guys are here to support the entire well-being of the family, and that’s something that’s really amazing. So how do we reach Era Living?
Mallory Mixdorf: Great question. There are a number of ways, but I would say the easiest two are to visit us at our website, which is www dot era living dot com, or you can follow us on Facebook.
Suzanne: Well, I’m very excited to have you, Mallory. And Era Living, everyone, has eight communities in Greater King County, most of them are just really close to — if you live in King County, you have a place to go. And these podcasts are for you, if you’ve ever wondered anything about senior living, this is going to be an amazing process as we explore different aspects behind the scenes and also coming forward of what to expect. And so we’re very excited to have you, Mallory, to explain a lot more about the process. Thank you so much for being on the show.
