Teaching the Press a Lesson

Posted on | January 29, 2010 | 2 Comments

Senior living executives, residents, family members, and advocates of senior living everywhere are singing the praises of Bob Elmer, administrator of The Elms Assisted Living community in Westerly, Rhode Island. Elmer recently had issue with an article in his local newspaper. Like many members of the press with little experience in the senior living space, the reporter wrote an article that misrepresented the business as a whole – and Elmer took the time to set the record straight.

ALFA Re:source 2.0 is glad to share his response here, and get the conversation started about Elmer’s job well done.

To The Editor:

I have good news and I have bad news. The good news is that a number of my staff appear to read your newspaper. The bad news is that what they read recently was so inaccurate that they brought it to my attention.

In your editorial “A Big Step for Adult Day Center” you said ” No one should be forced to go from being an active, independent adult straight to assisted living if there are options.” Before I go any further, I’d like to invite you to come and have lunch with us so you can determine for yourself how many of our residents you think have lost their independence or are no longer active.

I’ll even let you go door to door and talk to each one. I’ll warn you ahead of time that if you choose the wrong day Ernestine may not be here because she’ll be with her art group. Barbara and Ann may be playing bridge at the senior center, Ed may be out for his daily walk, Ellie may be at morning aerobics or tai chi classes, and Pricilla could be at a yoga class.

From boat trips in Narragansett Bay and cruises on the Connecticut River to trips to the theater and shopping, I can assure you that assisted living residents are more active than any of their contemporaries that are home alone.

In our 25 years of serving seniors, not one of our residents was “forced” to come here. We certainly understand that they would like to be home, but when being home puts them in danger then it’s not the best place for them to be. Furthermore, when they make the transition from home to assisted living they actually become more active and more independent because we’ve eliminated all of those “bumps in the road” like medication management, transportation, food shopping, housekeeping, and more.

One of our newest residents came to us because she fell up the stairs when she was bringing her laundry up from the basement. While in rehab she realized that stairs were becoming an obvious problem for her. Not wanting to fall down the stairs the next time, she called us. She still drives her own car, runs her own errands, but on those days when it snows she knows we’ll take her to her appointments and shopping, and she knows we’ll clear the ice and snow off of her car all at no charge. Did I mention that when she had a cold recently we brought her room service at no charge?

Trust me when I say that after a couple of weeks of life here you aren’t going to get our residents to leave for love or money. So let me know when you can make it for lunch. I’m going to seat you with a few members of the residents council. As you’re enjoying the rack of lamb or chicken picatta or fresh grilled salmon you’ll also learn why our residents haven’t lost a thing by coming here. What they have done is improved their quality of life by leaps and bounds.

Respectfully submitted,

Robert E.P. Elmer III
The Elms Retirement Residence, Inc.

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