As Maya Angelou so aptly stated, “A friend may be waiting behind a stranger’s face.” We all start as unfamiliar others before finding ourselves on a unique path to friendship. Each path to friendship is a one of a kind experience, with specific scaffolding forming the bonds beneath the friendship: perhaps it’s the phase of life we find ourselves in, or the prism of our personal experiences, or our sense of humor. We join together in many interesting ways, some to be expected and others from delightful surprises.

You know what all friendships do have in common? Friends put in the work to show up for each other. Contrary to the romantic comedy trope, we don’t just trip and fall into relationships. No, quite the opposite. We make conscious decisions to make time in our schedules for friends, to show up during hard times, to listen with open minds, and to hold those relationships in gratitude. Friendship is two people saying: I think you are worth the effort. Give that a moment of thought. Recall the last time you spoke to any friend in your life, no matter the context for the conversation, and remember – they think you are worth the effort of friendship. Worth making time for. Worth remembering to ask about your sister or how the garden is coming along. Worth reflecting how your presence in this world matters. Whew, that is strong stuff! This is one of the reasons friendships are so critical to our lives. They are a mirror of our value, our place in the world; their very existence is proof that we matter. 

One of the nonprofit programs I work with, Social Call, thoughtfully matches older adults and volunteers for weekly phone or video visits. Occasionally volunteers and older adult participants remark that this is an unlikely start for a friendship. In part, this is because 70% of Social Call matches are intergenerational. How radical in our age-segregated society! One volunteer said of her new friendship, “Lawrence and I continue to connect and deepen our friendship.  Age is irrelevant and what counts most is authentic connection through shared values, kindness, and giggling :)” With the distance between age groups in our society, it’s easy to think we might not have a lot in common with someone much younger or older than us. Ah, but the friendship scaffolding is unique for all! Bonds form for many reasons that have nothing to do with age and sometimes the age difference is a place of connection in and of itself. Whether the age difference is beside the point or the whole point, cross-generational friendships are delightful mirrors of the value we each bring. 

Another way Social Call supports unlikely friendships is that volunteers and participants live throughout the U.S. and connect virtually. They would never show up to the same book club or wait at the same bus stop every morning; there is no opportunity for chance encounters.  As one volunteer noted, “Social Call has allowed me to connect with someone that I may have never really got the chance of meeting, and truly have gained someone in my life that I care for and enjoy talking to.” There is nothing quite like forming a friendship with someone who lives many miles away and still makes the time to connect regularly. I have to say, it feels extra special, like the excitement of having a pen pal! 

Finally, one of the pieces of scaffolding that seems to underpin every Social Call relationship is gratitude. I’ve never met a more grateful bunch than the staff and members of Social Call. Every piece of feedback, every reflection on the weekly visits, every quote, is built on a deep sense of gratitude. Gratitude for the unique individual they are matched with, for the genuine sense of connection they build together, for the shared moments of vulnerability, intimacy, and humor. Social Call is proof that gratitude can provide long-lasting, sustainable fuel for meaningful relationships.  

During this season of togetherness, I invite you to reflect on the meaningful relationships in your life. What is the scaffolding that binds you to those relationships? Is it connection over similarities or differences, is it the effort you put in to maintain the friendship, is it how they remind you that you are worth the effort? Get specific about what you appreciate and send a note of thanks to those friends. To be sure, the gratitude will feed you as much as them.

The post Friendships Reflect Our Worth appeared first on Front Porch.

As Maya Angelou so aptly stated, “A friend may be waiting behind a stranger’s face.” We all start as unfamiliar others before finding ourselves on a unique path to friendship. Each path to friendship is a one of a kind experience, with specific scaffolding forming the bonds beneath the friendship: perhaps it’s the phase of life we find ourselves in, or the prism of our personal experiences, or our sense of humor. We join together in many interesting ways, some to be expected and others from delightful surprises.

You know what all friendships do have in common? Friends put in the work to show up for each other. Contrary to the romantic comedy trope, we don’t just trip and fall into relationships. No, quite the opposite. We make conscious decisions to make time in our schedules for friends, to show up during hard times, to listen with open minds, and to hold those relationships in gratitude. Friendship is two people saying: I think you are worth the effort. Give that a moment of thought. Recall the last time you spoke to any friend in your life, no matter the context for the conversation, and remember – they think you are worth the effort of friendship. Worth making time for. Worth remembering to ask about your sister or how the garden is coming along. Worth reflecting how your presence in this world matters. Whew, that is strong stuff! This is one of the reasons friendships are so critical to our lives. They are a mirror of our value, our place in the world; their very existence is proof that we matter. 

One of the nonprofit programs I work with, Social Call, thoughtfully matches older adults and volunteers for weekly phone or video visits. Occasionally volunteers and older adult participants remark that this is an unlikely start for a friendship. In part, this is because 70% of Social Call matches are intergenerational. How radical in our age-segregated society! One volunteer said of her new friendship, “Lawrence and I continue to connect and deepen our friendship.  Age is irrelevant and what counts most is authentic connection through shared values, kindness, and giggling :)” With the distance between age groups in our society, it’s easy to think we might not have a lot in common with someone much younger or older than us. Ah, but the friendship scaffolding is unique for all! Bonds form for many reasons that have nothing to do with age and sometimes the age difference is a place of connection in and of itself. Whether the age difference is beside the point or the whole point, cross-generational friendships are delightful mirrors of the value we each bring. 

Another way Social Call supports unlikely friendships is that volunteers and participants live throughout the U.S. and connect virtually. They would never show up to the same book club or wait at the same bus stop every morning; there is no opportunity for chance encounters.  As one volunteer noted, “Social Call has allowed me to connect with someone that I may have never really got the chance of meeting, and truly have gained someone in my life that I care for and enjoy talking to.” There is nothing quite like forming a friendship with someone who lives many miles away and still makes the time to connect regularly. I have to say, it feels extra special, like the excitement of having a pen pal! 

Finally, one of the pieces of scaffolding that seems to underpin every Social Call relationship is gratitude. I’ve never met a more grateful bunch than the staff and members of Social Call. Every piece of feedback, every reflection on the weekly visits, every quote, is built on a deep sense of gratitude. Gratitude for the unique individual they are matched with, for the genuine sense of connection they build together, for the shared moments of vulnerability, intimacy, and humor. Social Call is proof that gratitude can provide long-lasting, sustainable fuel for meaningful relationships.  

This month, during National Friendship Month, I invite you to reflect on the meaningful relationships in your life. What is the scaffolding that binds you to those relationships? Is it connection over similarities or differences, is it the effort you put in to maintain the friendship, is it how they remind you that you are worth the effort? Get specific about what you appreciate and send a note of thanks to those friends. To be sure, the gratitude will feed you as much as them.

This blog was originally published by the Coalition to End Isolation and Loneliness.

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Each symposium is unique and the 2022 event titled “Rooted in Belonging” was no exception. It continued the tradition of being an enlightening and mind opening experience.

One aspect of the symposium that I find the most exciting is that each speaker built upon the speaker before them. They find engaging ways to weave takeaways into their own talk until the symposium becomes a quilt of creative ideas around each event’s central theme.

For example, during the 2022 symposium, Calida Jones, a musician and vice president of Arts Consulting Group, laid the first stitch of this quilt with her opening remarks, which invited everyone into the conversation. She said that “Everyone is an artist. Everyone is creative. I think everyone has a gift.” She added that “I believe everyone has untapped potential. They simply need someone to activate it.”

I couldn’t help thinking that Calida was performing that elevation and celebration with her introduction, calling all of us present, to tap into our own creativity as we watch and listen to each speaker.

The Community Music Center’s work with community choirs around San Francisco directly relates to Calida’s comments on the importance of having someone who elevates and celebrates your art. Through the Community Music Center’s support, community choirs around the city are able to thrive. This is due in part to their choir directors, such as Robin Estrada, who introduced the Bayanihan Equity Center choir and how they practice using Zoom. An important aspect of their practice are daily check-ins as Robin explains, it’s “important to hear everyone … because it creates a different sense of community.” 

This sense of connection is clear in the videos of the choir singing that Robin shared with the group. Despite singing in different locations, the choir is able to come together and create harmonies over distance.

Music as a sense of connection and belonging rang through into Tammy Hall’s performance and conversation. A soul musician and composer who has played at Carnegie Hall and the Lincoln Center, Tammy began her talk with a performance of her piece “Sermon in Blue.” She conveys so much emotion in her playing that it worked as the perfect scene setting before she discussed her personal history with music.

“I always say that music chose me,” Tammy notes. “My mother played the piano [and] I was drawn to the piano right away.”

I found that the collective experience of art was further built upon in the conversation between Front Porch Senior Director of Creative Development Katie Wade and visual artist Annabella Denisoff. Annabella began taking art classes in 2003 when she had partial vision and she continues to create art now that she is fully blind. She notes, “I don’t see what I’ve done but I rely on someone else’s imagination being an abstract painter. It is rewarding to hear what they can see.” Annabella’s art experience is a collective one.

Art and community was a central theme of Jessica McCracken’s conversation with visual artist Christine Wong Yap and vocalist, Nancy Simpson. Jessica, the director of the Front Porch Community Services program Creative Spark, discussed how Christine created the ”How I Keep Looking Up” project, which translated the personal passions of a group of older adults into a collection of flags that were flown in Times Square. This project, along with many that Christine creates, centers on belonging. “I think when you have a space of belonging that means you feel safe and accepted and able to be vulnerable, which allows you to take risks and taking risks is what allows you to grow,” Christine said.

Nancy Simpson participated in the project and her flag reflects the impact of music on her life. “Mine ended up being more of a piano keyboard with different rays of color coming out from it because in a way, playing the piano, singing, and music are my kind of therapy,” Nancy notes.

Poet and producer Oshea Luja continued the focus on community by inviting everyone at the Symposium to participate in a breathing exercise that concluded with giving thanks for everyone who is creatively aging and sharing that moment together. Oshea created a sense of belonging that everyone present for the Symposium shared.

Oshea’s talk weaved back in the influence of mothers, calling back to Tammy’s discussion about her connection with her mother. Oshea’s relationship with his mother helped him ground his sense of belonging. “My mother taught me the power of love. And love as I know it is the highest vibration. It exudes itself from itself similar to the sun and whoever is in its occurrence is truly alive,” Oshea said. When Oshea asked his mother about her story, “it gave me the capacity to articulate the legacy,” he said. 

Legacy and connection anchored Encore.org Founder and CEO Marc Freedman’s conversation with mental health activist Helen Abel. Encore.org fosters connections between different generations and the idea was born out of Marc’s personal experience with older people. “I benefited repeatedly in my own life from connections with older people who took me underwing,” he shared. “[They] made me feel like I was welcome and that made all the difference.”

Marc has found that “naturally, as we get older, we’re more inclined towards connection and it turns out happily that the skills that are so important for forging these bonds: empathy and emotional regulation, blossom as we get older so we are inclined toward relationships, connection, and belonging.”

The conversation about legacy was an apt final stitch to complete the Symposium’s quilt of ideas as the topics discussed and wisdom conveyed during the event have stuck with me even these months later. Each year, the Symposium reinforces for me the importance of creativity in living a full life and that the forms creativity can take in our lives are innumerable. We only have to look to see where it is already at root in our lives so we can give it the time and energy to flourish. I hope to see you all on February 9, 2023 for the 6^th annual Symposium.

— Kate Vermillion is Front Porch’s manager of digital communications and social media.

EDITOR’S NOTE: A full recording of the 2022 Creative Aging Symposium as well as recordings of our past Symposiums are available at https://covia.org/programs/creative-aging-symposium/.

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No, none of them are taking a magic pill that boosts their energy levels, improves their mood, helps them sleep better, or improves their relationships with others.

Sadly, no such pill exists, but there is a way you can reap these benefits as many of our residents have — even without a visit to the doctor’s office.

The secret? A daily gratitude practice has been shown to significantly increase your happiness, and your physical health as well – helping you get more sleep, boosting your immunity, and decreasing your risk of disease. As many of our residents demonstrate, people who spend more time cultivating gratitude seem to spend less time experiencing aches and pains and going to doctors.

How is gratitude linked to happiness? What are the social and emotional benefits of gratitude? Gratitude improves your outlook on life. Appreciating what you have can make you feel more optimistic and satisfied, and you will experience less frustration, envy, and regret. Gratitude tends to result in increased self-esteem and confidence, which also improves mood. There is even evidence to suggest that gratitude helps diminish the likelihood of developing post-traumatic stress disorders after an upsetting experience, like the pandemic, just to cite one example.

What impact does gratitude have on relationships? It can enhance them as we are often attracted to positive people. This positivity makes one easier to get along with and talk to about difficult or challenging matters. Being thankful for the important people in our lives is more likely to lead to reciprocated behavior, as mutual appreciation for each other often results in a more satisfying relationship. When you are less envious and focused on those material things that you don’t have, you, in turn, invest more energy in what you do have and what’s right in front of you.

How does gratitude affect sleep? People who practice gratitude before bedtime by  listing those things they feel grateful for report better sleep. This is likely because gratitude diminishes anxiety and stressful feelings, allowing for a more restful and relaxed entry to sleep.

Last fall, a Tree of Gratitude and Hope was placed in the Village Center Lobby and  residents and staff were invited to write those items they were most grateful for on a leaf to attach to the tree. The tree was soon filled! Many wrote that they were thankful for staff, residents, family, friends, spouses, health, and our beautiful Spring Lake Village campus. Here’s to a grateful life at Spring Lake Village!

— Diane Waltz is the wellness director at Spring Lake Village. She holds a master’s degree in physical therapy from Stanford University.

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As a new resident, you’re sure to meet Wellbeing Director Ryan Fillingane shortly after your arrival. Ryan takes pride in explaining how to use the fitness equipment, is eager to learn all about your fitness goals, and ready to tailor a program to meet your unique needs. Or, if you wish, you can jump right in and use the equipment and pool at your leisure.

Ryan earned his bachelor of science degree in kinesiology with an emphasis in clinical exercise science from Cal State University Fullerton. He started at Walnut Village about a decade ago as a fitness coach and is now the Center’s director.

“Before coming to Walnut Village I had an internship at another senior living community and the experience of working with older adults was so great I wanted to make it my career,” Ryan said.

By working with older adults, Ryan knows the importance of how movement, of any kind, is a big contributor to continued well-being.

“My goal is to create a well-rounded program to meet all needs,” Ryan said. “Even if someone has limited abilities there is something they can do to move. For example, one of our more popular classes is chair volleyball. Residents stay seated but their upper bodies are moving. One of the many myths about exercise is that you need to spend hours in the gym for it to be beneficial. But actually, you can stay fit if you exercise for as little as 20 minutes a day. And you don’t need fancy equipment to do so. I can show you how.”

The Center also includes an indoor, master’s size saltwater pool and hot tub maintained year around to a warm 86 degrees for maximum comfort. Resident June Watanabe is an avid user of the Fitness and Aquatic Center. She enjoys walking, yoga and the balance class, among other activities.

“I like that the gym is so convenient, open 24 hours and has such a wide choice of classes,” June said. “Ryan provides a variety of challenges that help keep me fit.”

Other classes and programs offered include, water aerobics, chair exercises, stretch and flex, Zumba, Wii gaming, CyberCycle (an interactive recumbent bicycle), putting, weightlifting (with state-of-the-art, older adult-friendly pneumatic weight machines), health and well-being discussions and dance, just to name a few.

Other fitness activities include hybrids of exercises for the body and mind like the always popular scavenger hunt, during which residents search the community for hidden treasures. There’s also “walking Bingo,” which keeps residents on the move, listening for letter and number combinations after walking to different stations around the community.

“Exercise is always best when I can generate a lot of resident laughs and smiles,” Ryan said. “We offer easy, fun routines or more advanced, challenging workouts,” Ryan said. “Residents can participate as little or as much as they like. It’s all about choosing whatever fits you best at Walnut Village.”

If residents prefer, Ryan can work with them in a group setting, one-on-one, or even in the privacy of their own home.

“We’re here to help you with anything you need to support your well-being plan,” Ryan said. “It gives us an opportunity to get to know you, and for you to get to know us.”

For the well-being team, building strong relationships with residents is key. Knowing residents’ likes and dislikes and how they’re feeling from day to day helps the trainers modify an exercise regimen if necessary, or recommend something new.

“We will instruct residents on exercises to help alleviate current challenges and prevent future injuries,” Ryan said. “It’s all about helping the residents be the best they can be.”

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Like Mazel’s “human,” resident Sima Oppenheimer Jacobson, every three months, other pet owners may enter the community’s “Pet of the Quarter” contest (also affectionately known as “Wesley Paws”), by submitting an application with a brief autobiographical statement in their pet’s “own words.” From among the entries, the community’s life enrichment team randomly chooses three pets and residents vote for their favorite to determine which proud little critter gets to take home the title of Wesley Palms “Pet of the Quarter.” Winners receive a bundle of treats, snacks and toys. Their photos are prominently displayed in the community’s lobby.

“It’s a fun and friendly competition,” said Wesley Palms Marketing Manager Sean Heuer who started the contest in fall 2021. “Because we ask the residents to submit an ‘autobiography’ from their pet’s point of view, things can get really creative and fun. Residents are very proud of their pets and want to show them off. Some of the applications are funny and some are heartwarming.”

“My name is Benito the cat, the unofficial ‘Ambassador of First Impressions’ over at our memory care neighborhood Summer House,” reads one recent entry.  “I belong to one of the newest and sweetest Summer House residents who can’t stop gushing about how special I am to him. He’s awfully special to me too.”

Of course, the Wesley Palms’ animal kingdom is not limited to dogs and cats. Hamsters, birds, fish, turtles and other furry, scaly and feathered friends have all called the senior living community home at one time or another and are all eligible to enter.

Many residents realize the competition can be stiff. Just ask Dr. Gloria Harris whose miniature poodle, Misty, recently entered the contest.

“Misty is my beautiful standard poodle, and can you believe the last time she entered, she lost to a cat? Misty couldn’t believe it – a cat!” Gloria said with her tongue firmly pressed against her cheek. “That’s okay, next time my canary Allegro is going to enter the contest. I have high hopes for him.”

One of the reasons pet owners and their pets love it at Wesley Palms is the nearly 40-acre park-like setting with beautiful landscape, walking paths, mature trees and a new off-leash dog park that hosts a monthly “Yappy Hour,” where dogs and their humans gather to frolic, play and socialize. For years, “Yappy Hour” was one of the community’s most popular events, where even non-pet owners could be found enjoying the camaraderie.

Resident Sue Heath loves that pets are welcome at Wesley Palms.  the same about her best friend Gracie, a green-eyed tabby. “Pets make our lives so much richer,” Sue said, whose best friend Gracie is a green-eyed tabby. “Everyone here just loves Gracie and I could not be happier.”

Sean said if the competition remains popular there will be a “Pet of the Year” contest in which quarterly winners will compete.

“We definitely have a fun-loving group here,” Sean said. “We may have an ‘official’ pet of the quarter, but staff and residents all know that all of our pets and their owners are winners every day. No matter if you are a pet or human, you will feel like you belong at Wesley Palms.”

Editor’s note: When you call or visit Wesley Palms, please ask about the details of our pet policy.

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Her desire to do so was recently remedied when she joined residents Sally and Russ White for a “Blind Date,” Villa Gardens’ innovative program that pairs residents and staff for a “get to know you better” lunch.

“I see Mr. and Mrs. White all of the time, but I didn’t really know them on a personal level,” Maria said. “I thought they were serious people, but discovered that they both have great senses of humor, particularly with each other. We talked about all sorts of things. She told me about her family and I told her about mine. We definitely found a connection. The more I know about our residents the better I can serve them.”

“Our lunch with Maria was quite wonderful,” Sally said. “She was little shy at first, but after about two minutes we were laughing and telling each other stories. I think it’s important for staff and residents to get to know each other personally. It brings a family atmosphere here.”

“Blind Date” was inaugurated around Valentine’s Day in 2021, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic by Life Enrichment Director Katherine Custodio and her team. At that time, interaction among staff and residents was limited so Katherine drew inspiration from internet dating sites that pair people up based on mutual interests.

“The idea just popped up,” Katherine said. “I thought, why couldn’t this same dating concept translate into something here at Villa. But instead of pairing up people for romantic relationships we would pair them up so they could engage with each other as new friends. We like to think of innovative ideas to keep residents engaged.”

Interested residents and staff sign up for a casual lunch and Villa’s life enrichment team pairs the participants up. They do not meet until lunch is served. The new friends dine on the terrace, outside of Villa’s bistro lounge, sitting six feet apart and enjoy specially catered meals from local business, in order to support the Pasadena community.

 “We particularly encouraged staff who work mostly ‘behind the scenes’ at Villa to sign up for a blind date,” Katherine said. “Sometimes staff who work in the kitchen or on the night shift don’t have a chance to get to know residents as much as they would like and vice versa. We hope bringing people together anonymously would add to the excitement of getting to know someone new and it has.”

To help facilitate conversations, participants are given a list of icebreaker questions. However, after just a few minutes, most said there was no need for help initiating conversations – they seemed to flow naturally.

“At first I was nervous but excited at the same time,” said Pauline Zamora, who works as Villa’s overnight receptionist, when interactions with residents are minimal. “I was paired with Janice Schaefer, a physicist, engineer and retired professor. “What an impressive career she had! But what I remember most is that she was so kind. I felt that she truly wanted to get to know me.”

“Villa set up everything beautifully,” said resident Roberta Lawrence, who was paired with a health center caregiver named Aura. “She told me why she became a caregiver and I told her about my career as an architect. It was a pleasant conversation and when I see her around the community I always remember that day.”

The blind date event proved so popular, it resumed during Valentine’s Day week in February 2022, which is International Friendship Month.

“This event turned out to be so valuable to the community,” Katherine said. “Everyone really enjoyed making connections. This is definitely something positive we created as a result of the pandemic. We feel we will continue our blind date connections for years to come.”

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At Spring Lake Village, we take pride in understanding and using the latest technologies and thinking to best serve our residents.

My most informative course this year was “Brain Power.” The lectures were of particular interest to me because, when I meet with residents for their annual fitness and balance assessment, a common report is fear of cognitive decline. The Brain Power course provided helpful tools for slowing and even stopping the downward trajectory of cognitive changes during aging.

Cognition refers to mental functions that allow us to acquire knowledge and understanding through sensory input, experience, and thought. Things that can impact cognition include exercise, sleep, stress, nutrition and environment. There are also normal age-related changes to cognition. Our brain function can be negatively influenced by disease or co-morbidities but, conversely, can be optimized by lifestyle modifications (such as exercise and diet). Normal cognitive aging includes some neuronal decline, some neurodegeneration, which translates into general slowing of daily activities, losing things from time to time, occasional word-finding issues, and possibly missing paying a monthly bill.

Neuroplasticity refers to the brain’s ability to change in response to experiences. We are extremely “plastic” as children. Researchers have only recently discovered that the brain can continue to change into later adulthood, but the effort required to elicit change is often greater.

By age 80, a healthy brain is 5% lighter than a brain in middle adulthood. These decreases in volume and weight are often due to physical changes in the brain and  decreased blood flow. Therapeutic approaches may potentially reduce the risk of pathological brain volume decreases. These include: Mediterranean diet,   supplementation, exercise, treatment of cardiovascular conditions and improving cognitive reserve. Cognitive reserve is like a cognitive gas tank. It tells us how long we can expect good cognitive functioning and what the course of cognitive aging is likely to be. A higher cognitive reserve yields a longer delay to dementia, more mild cognitive impairment, and may even slow the normal course of cognitive decline.

Stimulating activities and novel experiences are a pinnacle of healthy brains. As research has begun to emphasize, the combination of exercise or physical activities that possess elements of social contact, novelty, stimulation, cognitive demand, and positive mood states have significantly greater effects on cognition than any of these components alone.

A particularly successful technique involves performing two tasks simultaneously, one primary and the other secondary, and include a physical and a cognitive component to the activity.

The physical component includes tasks such as stepping, squatting, balancing, gait, strength training, and postural control. The cognitive component includes visual tasks, mathematics, working memory tasks, verbal fluency tasks, or rhythmic tasks. Research indicates that for adults 60 and older, a dose of cognitive-motor training of at least 60 minutes per week for a total of 12 hours (or 720 minutes) seems to be necessary to positively improve the cognitive domains of memory, executive functioning, processing speed, and attention.

At Spring Lake Village, we encourage all residents, to the best of their abilities, to be as active as possible. The phrase “If you don’t use it, you lose it,” is relevant to our brains. When connections are not used, the brain will allow them to degenerate. Sedentary behavior can be a main culprit. Research shows that participation in intellectually stimulating activities and physical activity, like those offered at Spring Lake Village, are two of the most effective interventions in promoting healthy cognitive aging. Our goal is for our residents to continue enjoying what they love and to discover new opportunities for fun and growth. There is no better way to do that than by maintaining brain health!

— Diane Waltz is the wellness director at Spring Lake Village. She holds a master’s degree in physical therapy form Stanford University.

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