During a presentation at the New Harmony Working Men’s Institute, Amy Koch, executive director at the Charles Ford Retirement Community, was asked to elaborate on the Ford Home’s unique culture. Her answer focused on the relationships that build between caregivers and residents during the years they are together and how a spirit of love and concern builds stability and trust.
“Hands down, life enrichment is one of the most important things in our culture,” Koch explains. “It adds to the vibrancy of our time together, and each member of our team shares a responsibility to assist in its development, but Sue Rose, our Life Enrichment Director, leads this effort.”
Like many individuals, Sue’s early work history gave no indication she would ultimately be calling Bingo for a game seniors love and look forward as a most enjoyed activity.
Sue brings joy to staff members, as well, according to Christy Treadway, the Charles Ford office manager. “She makes us laugh, everyday. We call her our shenanigan coordinator! She reminds me of the Sound of Music theme song, ‘How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria,’ Only it’s Sue!”
Adding a more serious note, Nursing Director, Kim Catt, said, “Sue is raw and real. She has overcome a lot of adversity in her life. She has a huge heart that has been baptized and forged by fire. She was a certified nursing assistant before she chose life enrichment, and she does both everyday. She is simply an extension of our nursing department, and she just, intuitively, enriches lives.”
When her two adult daughters were young, Sue worked as a waitress and in retail. Then, her mother fell, resulting in the inability to walk and was placed in a rehabilitation facility. Sue watched closely how nursing assistants provided her mother’s care, because she wanted to take her mother home and provide that care herself. This unselfish, devotional act of love proved to be the platform for Sue’s professional path forward. Sue says that when she assists with nursing care for residents at the Ford community, in her heart, she is still caring for her parents. That explains the love she pours into her work.
She was fifty years old when she went back to school and completed training to become a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA). Working full time in that role for a number of years, she began to feel the physical strain and returned to school to take the courses needed to qualify as an Activities Director, now titled Life Enrichment Director.
Developing a daily and monthly calendar, Sue plans activities to address the mental, spiritual, social and physical domains of wellness with a goal of helping each individual live well, knowing that living well is much more important than just living! It’s a daily schedule that adds vibrancy to their lives,” Sue explains. “We shop, paint, exercise, make crafts, watch movies, plant gardens, go to concerts, take golf cart rides, have ice cream socials, worship, pray, and ‘Yes,’ play Bingo!”
Koch adds, “If you happen to be visiting us during one of these daily activities, you might notice there’s not a tremendous amount of distinction between our residents and our team members when it comes to significant life celebrations. Life Enrichment isn’t something we do for our residents; it’s something we all do together. Sue’s job is to layer in the creative energy, expertise, available resources and teamwork to make vibrant living happen here! She leads the team in building a community of love and respect resulting in this stable and trustworthy culture.”
