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Touching the Lives of Others With Random Acts of Kindness

angelleditor on February 29, 2024

Have you ever noticed how a little kindness from someone else can brighten your day? Kindness can be as simple as paying someone a compliment, or letting a fellow shopper go ahead of you in the checkout line if they only have a couple items to pay for. Often, being kind doesn’t cost a cent and takes only a few seconds. But the recipient of an act of kindness may remember the gesture for a very long time.

Acts of kindness are usually rewarding for those who do them, too, even though that’s seldom the reason for being kind.

Here’s something else about acts of kindness: They tend to spread. Someone who feels the effects of another person’s kindness can be inspired to “pay it forward” with an act of kindness toward someone else.

Celebrating Kindness in February and All Year Long

If you do an online search using the phrase “random acts of kindness day,” you’ll find that here in the U.S. the day is celebrated on February 17. The week leading up to Random Acts of Kindness Day is, as you may have guessed, Random Acts of Kindness Week. 

According to the website Days of the Year, National Random Acts of Kindness Day originated in Denver, Colorado, in 1995 with a small nonprofit organization called the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation®.

Nearly a decade later, the concept took root in New Zealand, where Random Acts of Kindness Day is celebrated nationwide on September 1 each year.

There’s also World Kindness Day, which is celebrated annually on November 13. The designation was introduced in 1998 by the World Kindness Movement, an organization formed in Tokyo.

Each of these serve as reminders that people everywhere can benefit from showing and receiving a little extra kindness. And you don’t have to wait for a special day to do something kind!

How We Celebrated Random Acts of Kindness Month This Year

Our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, which consists of volunteers among staff and residents, came up with a Random Acts of Kindness & Appreciation initiative.

Paper hearts containing various suggestions for simple acts of kindness and appreciation were available at the concierge desk to everyone in the community. Anyone who wanted to participate could choose a heart, complete the act and then hang the heart on a “kindness tree” in the lobby.

Residents and staff members who did unprompted acts of kindness were encouraged to write the act on a blank paper heart and add it to the kindness tree.

As the month progressed, everyone could see the kindness tree blossom with our community’s collective kindness.

Not-So-Random Acts of Kindness Count, Too

A quotation attributed to Aesop reminds us, “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.”

Residents at Emerald Heights engage in acts of kindness all the time. Many of these acts are quite intentional — and that, of course, is always a good thing. Brooke Jones, vice president of the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation, wrote a blog post that advocates for making intentional acts of kindness “the norm” in our daily life.

These are both great examples of how Emerald Heights residents show kindness to their neighbors throughout the community:

Cards for Corwin

The Cards for Corwin program started during the pandemic, when safety protocols meant residents needed to limit their interactions with others in order to protect their health. This was especially true for those in our Corwin Center, which is where residents who need assisted living, memory care or skilled nursing live.

To help residents in the Corwin Center stay connected with others, a group of volunteers in our independent living neighborhood began writing notes in greeting cards that were delivered to every person in the Corwin Center.

The program was such a success, it’s still going strong today.

According to Trudy Vering, a retired nurse practitioner who is on the Health and Wellness Committee and has participated in the program from the start, around 45 volunteers write notes in the greeting cards. Residents in the Corwin Center receive a couple cards each month.

Trudy says that while the volunteers don’t always know the residents they’re writing to, it’s a great way for those in the Corwin Center to connect with their neighbors in independent living. 

“Everybody likes to get a little mail,” she says, adding that the program “has been really well received.”

The Emerald Heights Mentor Program

Trudy and another Emerald Heights resident oversee the Mentor Program in our community, which is designed to help new residents become acclimated to their surroundings once they move in.

The program is voluntary, both for mentors and mentees. Residents volunteer to “sponsor” new people who have recently moved to Emerald Heights, which is basically helping them become familiar with all that’s available, including the many activities and resident-led groups.

The program started around the same time Trudy moved to Emerald Heights from Florida, nearly nine years ago. She says her own experience with the woman who served as her mentor was so positive, she’s happy to be able to play a part in helping others have a similar experience.

Trudy also points out residents at Emerald Heights have many other options for volunteering their time and skills. All of these efforts can be considered acts of kindness, whether random or intentional.

Suggestions for Your Own Acts of Kindness

If you’d like to add more kindness to the lives of others (along with more “feel good” to your own life), the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation offers plenty of ideas and resources to help you get started. You can also check out its Daily Dose of Kindness® and its Kind Blog.

Here are a few kindness ideas, courtesy of the organization:

  • Buy a cup of coffee for the person in line behind you.

  • Say hi to the person standing next to you on the elevator.

  • Donate old towels or blankets to an animal shelter, or buy some pet food to donate.

  • Write a thank-you note to someone who has made a difference in your life.

  • Smile at the people who walk by you.

  • Tell a friend or neighbor how much they mean to you.

While you’re at it, don’t forget to be kind to yourself! Spend some time today doing something you love. Write yourself a message of kindness on a sticky note and place it where you’ll see it throughout the day. Give yourself a smile when you look in the mirror. It’s that easy.

Let Us Show You Some Kindness

We truly appreciate how all of the gestures of kindness our residents show one another (and our staff members, as well) make our community such a delightful place to live and work.

Come see for yourself how kindness flows here at Emerald Heights. Contact us to arrange a personal visit, or check out our upcoming events and plan to attend any that appeal to you.

Meet Sue Rowell: Emerald Heights’s New Director of Marketing and Sales

angelleditor on January 31, 2024

Sue Rowell, the new director of marketing and sales at Emerald Heights, discovered her passion for senior living at a young age. Her mother worked as a cook for Redmond Retirement Manor. During high school, Sue’s mother helped her get her first job working as a night aide for the same organization.

Sue soon found she not only was great at her job, but she connected with residents so easily, it was no surprise she found a love for working in senior living. From that moment on, Sue never looked back.

Thirty years later, Sue finds herself at Emerald Heights. As the new director of sales and marketing, Sue will oversee all marketing, sales, public relations efforts, and educate Redmond seniors on all that Emerald Heights has to offer, including the amenities and benefits. She strives to make sure all current and future residents feel welcome and comfortable during their exciting time of moving.

Sue is a Certified Senior Advisor and obtained her B.S. in gerontology from Central Washington University and her M.S. in counseling psychology from the University of West Alabama.

Since starting at Emerald Heights in December, Sue’s favorite part of the job is working with residents and listening to all of their stories. Sue is also proud to work for a community that increases residents’ socialization, mood, physical and mental ability, nutrition and so much more!

When not working with the amazing residents of Emerald Heights, Sue can be found hiking in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, reading, and singing with the Mill Creek Chorale. She has a passion for writing and is secretly good at hula hooping.

Sue loves spending time with her two sons who both served in the Navy. They now reside in Iowa and Tennessee, and she could not be prouder of her boys. Sue is thankful her sister lives close by so she can spend her free time with family.

Sue is a third-generation Seattleite. Her parents moved to Redmond when there was only one stop light in town. She is now excited to be back in the community where she spent her first twenty years of life!

Sue graduated from Redmond High School and has been involved in the Seattle Junior Symphony, UW Orchestra and UW marching band. She even sang at Benaroya Hall, Carnegie Hall and Notre Dame!

Sue is a one-of-a-kind person and such a wonderful addition to the Emerald Heights community. Her love for residents and passion for senior living make this position more than just a job in her eyes. Welcome, Sue!

Emerald Communities Partners With LivNow Relocation to Make Your Entire Move as Effortless as Can Be

angelleditor on December 21, 2023

Only a magic wand could make moving easier.

Moving to a different home is stressful, whether you’re 9 or 90. This is true even when you’re looking forward to being in your new home. Oftentimes, it’s the actual process of packing up your belongings and transferring them from your current home to your new abode that causes the most stress. If you own your home, there’s the extra effort involved in getting it ready for sale and putting it on the market — as well as other concerns that may arise, such as needing proceeds from the sale of your home before it’s sold so you can meet the financial terms of your future home.

Any homeowner may face these challenges when deciding whether to move. Those who’ve lived in their home for several decades have even more to consider. In addition to the sentimental aspect of leaving a place that holds myriad memories, there’s the task of sorting through everything they’ve accumulated and figuring out what to take with them to their new home.

It’s a lot for anyone to tackle. Some older adults may decide it’s simply too much. They may choose to stay where they are, even though they realize they would be safer and could enjoy a much better quality of life if they lived elsewhere.

Fortunately, There’s a Trouble-Free Solution to All of These Concerns

Getting help with the various stages of the moving process is an option, even if it’s just asking friends and family to lend a hand or recommend a real estate professional or moving service. But older adults typically need more than that, and in many cases their adult children aren’t able to handle everything that needs to be done. Firms that facilitate corporate relocations for executives may also offer some of their services to seniors who are moving into a retirement community. Other businesses specialize in helping seniors move. Still, their services can be fragmented, leaving gaps someone else (usually the person who’s moving or a family member) must fill.

Emerald Communities set out to find a relocation partner who could ensure everyone moving into Emerald Heights or Heron’s Key experiences the smoothest move possible. Although there are plenty of companies that offer referrals to other businesses and professionals who can assist with certain aspects of moving, we found one that orchestrates the entire process: LivNow Relocation.

LivNow Is Committed to Making Sure Every Move Is a Good Move

Emerald Heights and Heron’s Key have a dedicated LivNow relocation specialist. Working with the LivNow relocation specialist is entirely optional, and you can pick and choose which services you want to take advantage of.

Our partnership with LivNow gives you the upper hand when it comes to moving, right from the very start. These are some of the reasons to consider coordinating your move through the LivNow relocation specialist:

·       LivNow has fully vetted and certified all of the recommended local service providers, and you will always have a choice of providers for each step of the move. The vetting and certification process, which includes background checks on employees, ensures you will be working with service providers you can trust. This includes real estate professionals, movers and professional organizers who can assist with downsizing.

·       LivNow operates nationwide, so it doesn’t matter if you live in Redmond, Gig Harbor, Schenectady or Kalamazoo. You can still work with the LivNow relocation specialist who assists future residents in our communities.

·       If you need a bridge loan with a competitive rate, the LivNow relocation specialist can connect you with someone who can help.

·       If you have valuable personal documents you’d like to protect in a single safe and convenient location, the LivNow relocation specialist can assist you with Prisidio or Trustworthy, two options for a cloud-based digital vault.

·       LivNow works with discard and donate services such as Move for Hunger™, so items you decide not to take with you can be easily donated to a local organization. And, LivNow provides a percentage of its revenue to the Benevolence Fund at Emerald Heights on your behalf.

·       There’s no cost to you to use LivNow’s initial consultation or coordination services. The LivNow relocation specialist will talk with you to understand your unique situation and find out what services you want or need. You only pay for the services you use, such as those provided by a Realtor®, moving company or professional organizer.

·       LivNow conducts a short resident survey after each move to see how satisfied the resident is. The company has an impressive Net Promoter Score of 100%.

We’re Pleased To Offer LivNow Relocation’s Services to All Future Residents

“Emerald Communities is excited about our partnership with LivNow and the added support incoming residents will have throughout their moving experience,” says Kay Wallin, vice president of marketing and public relations at Emerald Communities.

“We recognize that navigating all of the steps in a successful move is a challenge for many people, and we trust that the excellent support and guidance LivNow’s relocation specialist can provide will make the move much less stressful for those who use the service.”

For more information about how Emerald Heights is partnering with LivNow to streamline the moving process for future residents, call us at 866-822-0916 or contact us online.

Featured Image: Yuri A / Shutterstock

Residents Use Their Woodworking Skills To Make the Holidays Happier for Children

angelleditor on December 4, 2023

The holiday spirit lives throughout the year in the woodshop at Emerald Heights as residents engage in a labor of love. Every year, members of the woodworking group make toys to donate to local charities in time for the winter holidays.

This year, the group made more than 600 toys. One member, Ernie Ruf, made over 170 of the toys, from sewing machines with movable parts to elaborate, two-story dollhouses complete with furniture.

Heidi Smith is the group member who organized this year’s toy show, where all of the toys are on display for other residents in the community to see. She also took the lead on arranging the donations and contributed toys she made — cute little dinosaurs that wiggle when pulled along by a string.

The woodshop members don’t sell the toys, even though they easily could in the Emerald Heights gift shop. In the spirit of the holidays, they donate the toys they so lovingly crafted in their woodshop.

Heidi’s History With Emerald Heights and the Woodshop

Nearly a quarter of a century ago, Heidi’s parents moved from their home in Bellevue to Emerald Heights after they found out her father, who was in his early 60s, had Alzheimer’s disease.

After they settled in, Heidi’s mother told her it was the smartest thing they’d ever done and suggested that Heidi, who lived in Oregon then, put her name on the wait list. Before Heidi got around to doing so, her parents had her name added to the wait list for her birthday!

Heidi knew several other residents from visiting her mother and father over the years, so when she moved to Emerald Heights in 2014, the community already felt like home in many ways.

Heidi’s father had been a member of the woodworking group, and Heidi, who says she has always enjoyed working with her hands, looked into joining soon after she moved to Emerald Heights.

Initially, she recalls, the group’s leader was hesitant because no woman had ever expressed interest in being part of the group. But Heidi came on board, and today there are five women among the group’s 50 or so members.

Residents Benefit From — and Support — the Woodshop

Members of the woodworking group do more than make toys. For instance, they repair furniture for other community residents. In many cases, woodworkers can make the furniture look as good as new.

As another example, one resident found when she moved in that a large, heavy coffee table she had didn’t fit so well in her new living room. She asked some members of the group if they could modify it for her.

Heidi and a few of the other woodworkers removed the table legs, took more than a foot off the length, rounded edges on the shortened side to match the rest and then refinished the surface.

The table’s owner was thrilled with the results, according to Heidi, and made a generous donation to the woodshop during Emerald Heights’ annual fund drive. She’s also a “good advertiser” for the group’s services, Heidi says, touting them to other residents.

The woodworking group uses the donations it receives to buy equipment for the woodshop, such as the SawStop table saws it purchased not long ago. The saws are designed with an electrical safety signal that activates a brake if skin comes into contact with the blade, causing the saw to stop immediately. 

As membership in the group increased, the woodworkers eventually needed more space than they had in the original 900-square-foot woodshop. Since the group’s endeavors benefit so many others within and beyond the Emerald Heights community, management was happy to allocate additional space to the group.

Who Gets the Toys?

Various organizations have received the woodworking group’s toys over the years, including Ronald McDonald House and Seattle Children’s Hospital. When the pandemic began, some organizations would only accept monetary donations, but others, including the ones below, were and still are, delighted to receive the handmade toys.

  • Fisher House Foundation, an international nonprofit organization that builds homes where military and veteran families can stay free of charge to be near a loved one who’s in the hospital
  • The Forgotten Children’s Fund, a volunteer organization in the Seattle area that has been bringing holiday joy to underprivileged children and their families for nearly 50 years by purchasing and collecting donated gifts, wrapping them, and having Santa and his elves deliver them
  • Jubilee Reach, a nonprofit charitable organization in Bellevue that serves families in a variety of ways, such as by offering English-as-a-second-language (ESL) classes, providing before- and after-school care and tutoring services, and partnering with the Bellevue School District to build relationships with students in elementary, middle and high school

Emerald Heights Residents Enjoy Helping Others

Volunteering and giving back to the community — both the Emerald Heights community and the greater community that surrounds us — has been an integral part of the Emerald Heights culture from the very start.

Some residents volunteer their time. They make items to donate, like the toys the woodworkers create. They provide assistance to other residents, such as helping them learn new computer skills. They visit the elementary school on a regular basis and read to students. They lead committees and interest groups, and they maintain the nature trail on campus.

Other residents make generous donations, contributing to food drives, fundraising efforts and other worthy causes throughout the year.

Some find creative ways to help without even thinking about it as volunteering. For example, Heidi used to take her retired therapy dog, a Goldendoodle named Kindle, to visit residents in Corwin Center, our health care center. Kindle made fast friends and always brightened the day when he and Heidi would visit.

There are all kinds of volunteer activities for seniors at Emerald Heights, especially during this season of giving. So many residents participate in these activities and reflect the warm, caring spirit of our community, and this spirit is just one of the reasons we have many people here who, like Heidi, are second-generation residents.  

If Emerald Heights sounds like a good fit for you or someone you love, we invite you to come have a look around. Just fill out our brief contact form and we’ll get in touch with you to arrange a visit.

National Assisted Living Week 2023: A Great Opportunity to Raise Awareness

angelleditor on September 19, 2023

new rendering of our assisted living community

Unless you or someone you care about has spent time in an assisted living community, you might not even know what assisted living is. There are still a lot of misconceptions about this type of care and who can benefit from it.

To help bring more awareness to assisted living — and to give more recognition to the people who live, work and volunteer in assisted living communities — the National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL) established National Assisted Living Week in 1995.

National Assisted Living Week is an opportunity each year to honor the role assisted living plays in peoples’ lives.

Defining Assisted Living

Assisted living is a residential option that provides older adults with the assistance they need to perform routine activities, some of which are referred to as activities of daily living, or ADLs. Help with bathing and getting dressed are examples of ADLs.

Seniors with mobility issues can also benefit from assisted living. So can those who have difficulty cooking for themselves or remembering to take their medications.

Rather than focusing on what they can no longer do on their own, residents in assisted living communities (and their loved ones) are thankful for all they can continue to do with a little help from caring individuals who are well-trained to anticipate and attend to their needs.

Here at Emerald Heights, we’re delighted to see so many older adults thrive after they become part of our community. Seniors still living on their own or with family may hesitate to ask for help because they don’t want to be “a burden” to others. But here, those concerns melt away. Residents relax and shift their attention to things they enjoy instead of feeling anxious about how they’re going to accomplish necessary tasks or worrying about what others will think of them.

Breaking Down Assisted Living Myths

Assisted living is not the same as independent living in a retirement community, though the same community may offer both (as we do here at Emerald Heights). As the term implies, independent living is for older adults who can live independently, without assistance or perhaps with minimal help from a partner.

Nor is assisted living the same as being in what many people think of as a nursing home. In senior living, we refer to these centers of care as skilled nursing facilities. Typically, they’re open to adults of all ages who need round-the-clock medical care following surgery or a hospital stay for an illness or injury. 

Skilled nursing facilities have registered nurses, licensed practical nurses or a combination thereof on their staffs, and a physician oversees the care they provide. Assisted living communities may not have nurses on staff around the clock, though they may have a medical practitioner on call. 

Emerald Heights Has Even More Reason to Celebrate Assisted Living This Year!

In light of our plans to expand our assisted living neighborhood at Emerald Heights, our excitement builds with each new milestone we achieve in our progress — and we recently achieved a big one.

On August 22, we held a groundbreaking ceremony for the 54 new assisted living apartments we’re adding to our community. Grant Linacre, our executive director, initiated the ceremony, and when it was over, we had a reception for residents who wanted to take part in the excitement.

Along with the new assisted living residences, our expansion project includes new dining, spa, activity and outdoor areas.

new assisted living building rendering

A Special Assisted Living Opportunity at Emerald Heights

The demand for top-quality assisted living in the Redmond area continues to grow, and Emerald Heights has built its reputation for excellence over the course of more than 30 years. As word gets out about the new assisted living residences we’re adding to our community, we expect our waitlist to grow significantly.

Here’s the Best News

You or your family member can get a spot at the front of the line by joining us now. We’re currently able to welcome a limited number of new residents directly to assisted living. (Normally, new residents must be eligible for independent living when they move in.)

Those who are interested can move directly into one of our existing assisted living residences now and secure a priority position on the list for the brand-new apartments. Residents living in our current assisted living apartment have first priority to choose their preferred location in the new building and plan their move into a brand-new apartment home.

Check Us Out!

If you’re considering assisted living for yourself or someone you care about, we encourage you to learn more about our new apartment homes and assisted living at Emerald Heights.

Do you live in the area? The best way to see what our community is all about is to contact us and set up a time to visit. That way, you can experience Emerald Heights in person. While you’re exploring our campus, you’ll have the chance to talk with those who know us best — our residents. You’ll find that even with our gorgeous surroundings and appealing lifestyle, it’s the people in our community who make Emerald Heights such a beautiful place to live.

Featured Image: Rice Fergus Miller, 2017

Learn the Art of Bonsai Trees with this Group at Emerald Heights:

angelleditor on September 5, 2023

Nearly five decades ago, Emerald Heights resident, Jack Fleming, discovered a unique interest – working with bonsai trees. After visiting a Japanese temple that was hosting a bonsai show, Jack decided to give it a try himself and found a passion for it.

He discovered working with the bonsai trees allowed him to relieve some stress from his daily life as have many others who have taken up this hobby. After many years of practicing the art of bonsai, Jack brought his passion to Emerald Heights.

In June of 2021, the Bonsai Group of Emerald Heights was started. Now, with 29 members, the group provides guided workshops by instructors Bob Stack and Jack Fleming, who have over 70 years of combined experience working with bonsai trees. The group also hosts guest speakers, takes field trips to the Pacific Bonsai Museum, shop for trees at two wholesale nurseries, and participate in special projects for Emerald Heights’ residents.

In addition to working on bonsai trees, the leaders of the group have also introduced similar disciplines such as topics like saikei: the art of miniature landscapes, kusamono: a variation of Japanese botanical art, and suiseki: decorative stones. The latter two can be their own works of art or can complement a bonsai specimen.

The works of art created in the Bonsai Group are one of a kind and their creations are featured throughout the Emerald Heights community. The group also hosted their first annual bonsai show this year on the Emerald Heights patio. The two-day event featured 45 bonsai pieces and was positively received by the community.

Jack says, “I have been told by a number of residents that the displays of bonsai and saikei materials around campus have a calming effect – both for the creator of these pieces as well as the viewers of these works.”

Throughout the remainder of the year, the Bonsai Group will be hosting a variety of meetings featuring demonstrations by bonsai experts and other exciting projects.

In July, the Bonsai Group sponsored a lecture by the woman who created the beautiful Moss Wall at Emerald Heights. In January 2024, the group will be featuring this same person, Rebecca Sheedy, who will be giving a tutorial to the residents on making their own small moss art pieces with materials and frames supplied by the group.

The group has worked on making many of their own bonsai pots, some in clay, others with hyper tufa, and others by modifying ceramics from places like Goodwill. Bonsai pots bought on the marketplace can be very expensive so the group is always looking for ways to be practical in creating their pieces.

The Bonsai Group is always welcoming new members and now is a good time to get involved. For those residents interested in gardening, this is a wonderful optional activity that offers a similar, yet entirely unique experience. The Bonsai Group this year hosted a “Back to the Basics Challenge” meeting where participating members were supplied with all the materials and were turned loose to fashion a simple, basic style of bonsai. This was a great introductory meeting for residents who wanted to give bonsai a try. Since our membership continues to grow, this exercise was very useful. Many of these projects were then shown at the bonsai show. If you are interested in meeting with a community of creative individuals and learning about one of the oldest art forms, contact Jack Fleming or your director of resident services for information on the next Bonsai Group meeting at Emerald Heights.

Featured Image: Emerald Heights Resident, Jack Fleming, 2023 

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