Suzanne: And welcome everyone to Answers for Elders Radio Network, as we are here again with our wonderful Era Living staff. And we have had so much fun over the last few segments talking about the amazing lifestyle at Era Living. And I am so grateful to have our next guest, because people I know all over the place are going, “This is like really too good to be true. So really, what does all this mean and what are all the logistics of getting this in involved with your communities?” And I am so excited to introduce to each and every one of you Danielle Parkins, and she is the Executive Director of Aljoya Thornton Place in Seattle, and Danielle, welcome so much to the show.
Danielle Parkins: Oh, thank you so much for having me. I couldn’t be more excited to share about Aljoya Thornton Place, myself, and of course, retirement living. I want to share just a little bit about myself for the listeners. I’ve been in retirement living for nine years. I fell in love with it instantly. I actually am a graduate of University of Washington, so local right here, and I started my career out working on a cruise ship. So I sailed around the world. It was wonderful and nothing but positive things to say about working for that industry, but wanted to settle back down. And after doing that, found I wanted to find a place to form those connections with my clients, and was so lucky that the first retirement community I worked at was Ida Culver House Ravenna, our sister community, the small one. And then I made my way here to Aljoya after going through Era Living’s executive director and training program.
Suzanne: That is amazing. That is amazing. And this is what we hear more and more at air Era Living, how people stay there for years and years. And that tells me so much about the company and who you are and how you treat people. You know, it starts with how you treat your own people and that extends to our seniors. So, Danielle, you are the executive director at Aljoya Thornton Place. And so I am interested in getting into the logistical side.
Obviously, somebody moves in to your your community. What does that cover? What does their rent cover?
Danielle Parkins: Yes. So I wanna broadly say when somebody moves in, what’s covered in the rent is pretty much everything that somebody could need, and more. So housekeeping once a week, facilities team to come and take care of items — that’s what I would be most excited about, somebody to call if my sink is clogged or my washer stops working. We have 24-hour staff which of course encompasses that safety and security aspect that is so many people’s priority. There are activities, so many activities, We have a calendar filled with 200 plus… I mean, I actually myself am trying to join in on our choir group that we have here at Aljoya, because it just brings joy to people, but the activities range from the fitness side of things — making sure your body is physically healthy — the spiritual side of things, with meditation, transportation to church groups. And then of course, intellectually stimulating, right? We bring in different concerts, we go to concerts, we have lecture series, kind of whatever somebody wants. And for me, I always tell people try it all, and you’ll find out what you like.
We have dining. Moving to retirement community, a lot of my residents, what they’re most excited about is food, right? I don’t want to cook anymore, or I’ve cooked for 30 years for the family and I just wanna be able to go and have a meal cooked for me. We have dining our residents get a certain number of meal credits.
Internet, cable, we have a social worker on site. These are things that maybe people don’t think about as those nice added benefits, but it’s included. We have a pool, beautiful pool, that has its center connected.
I have more items. There’s only one I really want to make sure to highlight on, because I think it’s unique for us at Era Living. We have a partnership with the University of Washington, so what that does for us is, we have a pharmacist that comes in. She will review medications, she will go into a resident’s apartment and look at the medication, say, ok, this one and this one you might want to talk to your doctor, they shouldn’t go together. They’ll so go through and I’m laughing because I have this in my own home, who doesn’t have a medicine cabinet that’s full of years and years, and years and years of medication. They’ll go in and be like, ok, this is expired, this is expired, this is expired. You know, we should get rid of those. And then the UW School of Nursing, we get lots of lectures provided by them. We’re first on the list to bring in students to talk about studies they’re doing, or look for participants in studies. There’s more items but, you tell me, what else can I share with you?
Suzanne: Well, you talk about all of these things, and I think sometimes people think that senior living is expensive, and it’s really not, because when you’re getting all of your meals, and you’re getting all the things that you could ever need and want in a day and a life, when we think about how much we spend every month with your utilities, with all of the different services that you offer, it’s a bargain and certainly it’s something that is even more so with better quality of life, better, different types of lifestyle. Tell us a little bit about ancillary amenities of what’s there.
Danielle Parkins: OK, ancillary items. So, parking, right? You can bring your car and you can use our valet service here. Pat care, how nice, we have a team member that will walk your fur baby or scoop the litter for you. We have a, unique to us, I’m gonna go back to this University of Washington, we have a nurse practitioner that comes to the building twice a week. So my residents, if they choose to, they can go and see her, and they don’t even have to go outside the community looking for that care and for residents that are moving from out of state that, that could be a really great option for that.
Suzanne: Absolutely. And Danielle, I think about peace of mind. It’s that quality of life that you talk about so much. I remember in previous segments we’ve done that you talk about your mission and to enhance the quality of life. That’s really what this is all about. It’s the driving factor. Is it not?
Danielle Parkins: Yes. I’m glad you asked that because it’s the most important thing. It’s great to have internet included, right? So nice. Yes, thank you. But the feelings and the community are most important. It’s the residents that live here, that you’re making friends with, in forming relationships. It’s the staff that care and want to do their best for you and by our residents every day. That’s the most important part. We say it’s the Aljoya family. And we all celebrate when somebody has a great thing that happens, and we all mourn when there’s something bad, or a loss in the community.
Suzanne: You become a family ,and I think the connection piece is so vital, especially after the pandemic. Oh my gosh, we’re still seeing a lot of situations where seniors have been isolated and at home for so long, they didn’t have very much social interaction and how is that affecting them in the future? That mental stimulation, that social wellness piece, is so vital, and sometimes we don’t realize how important it is. And so having that type of community where you can get involved as much or as little as you want, but it’s all right there, is pretty amazing. So, what would you encourage people, if they’re looking for a community? What, what kind of intangible would you would you recommend?
Danielle Parkins: If you were looking for a retirement community to move into, and you want to get a feel for what the community can provide you, and the people, I’d say go and have a couple of meals. Ask to sit with some residents that already live there. Attend a couple events. I’m hoping everyone does as extensive activities as we do. You get a calendar, pick a couple of things and go and see what the feel is like of these activities that are happening. And talk to the the staff. If you see somebody, ask them what’s it like to be here? Do you enjoy working here? I think that could give you a good feel for what the community is like, and what you can expect.
Suzanne: And also just remember, too, the fact that so many of your staff members have been there for so long like you have, and Tina has, and so many people that we that we’ve talked with on these recordings. This is the beauty of having the individuals like you, because you’re representative of how not only their staff are treated, but how your seniors are treated. And I’m so honored to have you.
In the meantime, you’re at Aljoya Thornton Place and that is up by Northgate. Where are you exactly are you located?
Danielle Parkins: Yes. So we’re 450 Northeast 100 Street.
I can’t help but jump on this one thing I want to share before we conclude. My leadership team — you keep talking about the longevity. We have eight key members in our leadership team. All of them have been there for more than five years, and two of them are actually into the double digits.
Suzanne: That’s awesome.
Danielle Parkins: Yeah, I’m glad we’re talking about that because I’m very proud of that.
Suzanne: Absolutely. So, in the meantime, how do people reach you? What’s the website?
Danielle Parkins: EraLiving.com.
Suzanne: And everyone, we’re gonna be back, right after this.
