We Are Thankful – A Place for Mom
As Thanksgiving approaches and family and friends get together to celebrate their blessings, we at A Place for Mom are thankful for our partners. Together, in 2015, we will connect with and help over 200,000 families in their search for senior living solutions. We recognize the collaboration, coordination and commitment it takes to help families move forward during an emotional and stressful time. In honor and recognition of our Community Partners, we’re highlighting a few stories below that exemplify the spirit of our partnership.
Story #1 – The True Spirit of Collaboration
At A Place for Mom when we think about collaboration and commitment the team at Belmont Village in Nashville, TN, comes to mind.  Jill and Laurie are the dynamic community relations team that represents this community.
We know when we call or email this team that their response will be immediate, but what we love most is their authenticity and compassion shown to every person we send their way. 
A particular collaboration that comes to mind, that was rather unique in nature involved a long time resident of Belmont Village who had no family and needed to move to another type of community due to a serious situation with financial resources.  It was important to Jill and Laurie that this lady be transitioned properly and they trusted us with the transition process. It was no easy feat, but they reached out to Glenda, CRA, and Liz, SLA, and A Place for Mom was able to find a wonderful placement opportunity for their resident.  Laurie and Jill worked with Glenda and Liz every step of the way to make sure their long-time resident was taken care of throughout every step to her next residence. 
We truly have fun with these gals, and have been known to enjoy dinner and a professional hockey game with them!  They are a hoot and they are just simply ‘real’ – exactly the kind of representatives we completely trust speaking with our dear families.
Story #2 – A Focused Effort
Many times it takes a great deal of focus and collaboration to help a family through a difficult situation.   Here is an example of how this comes to life every day with our partners.  This is a note from Linda, an APFM Senior Living Advisor, to her manager.
I was so impressed with the work we did together for a family needing assisted living.  The lead was in rehab out of the area and the daughter lives in the Boca Raton area.  They were seeking an assisted living community for their mother since the doctors informed the family she could not return home.  Stratford Court has a rehab center so we strategized to transfer her to their rehab center putting her closer to a great community.    We accomplished our goal.   The rehab center for Stratford Court was able to gain 30+ days with Medicare and thereafter we facilitated her move-in to the Assisted Living community on that same campus.
Story #3 – A Community Partner Connects With Her Dad
Here is a great note we received from one of our community partners.  It really celebrates the spirit of what we are looking to achieve through our relationships with families and communities.
Last weekend I was updating Partner Central and started to look at your site and the tools you offer consumers.  I linked to your Wall of Honor and all the photos of veterans appeared.  I just starting scrolling through and saw one of a man in the style of flight jacket my Dad wore in WWII.  So, I click on the photo and it links to a photo of a group of men in front of a B24 bomber with the name Pistol Packin Mama – the name of my Dad’s plane …. guess who I see in the photo – yep my Dad at 19 years old.  I have never seen this photo. 
You touch so many lives and now you have touched mine in a much different way.  I am sharing this with my Life Enrichment Coordinator and am asking her to encourage our vets to post a photo and their story.
Just thought you might like to hear this.  Have a great weekend.
Kathleen – Community Relations Manager (Enlivant)
Story #4-From Mentor to Resident
When SLA Catherine Stiefel, started helping Jeanne find a community for her sister she never could have imagined she would be reconnecting a Marketing Director with her former mentor.
Catherine, I want to thank you for your help yesterday and today. Amazingly one of the marketing directors you referred us to was one of my sister’s former graduate students in Gerontology! Susan (the Marketing Director) was at a Padres game and surprisingly checked her emails. Realizing that my sister was probably her former mentor, professor, and advisor in college 20 years ago she reached out to us right away.¬† Susan told us, and my sister, that she changed her life! -Jeanne
We Love Hearing from You Too!
At A Place for Mom, we love reading the stories families and partners send us.  They energize and motivate our teams and reaffirm why we do what we do. We call these stories our “Raves and Gratitudes”. If you have a story you’d like to share, please send our way!