7 Questions with Melissa Green from Journey Senior Living of Valparaiso in Valparaiso, IN.
Posted by Donna Mae Scheib on June 22, 2018
7 Questions with Melissa Green from Journey Senior Living of Valparaiso in Valparaiso, IN.
Hello everyone and welcome back to our 7 questions with senior living experts blog series. I had a chance to interview Melissa Green, the executive director of Journey Senior Living of Valparaiso in Valparaiso, IN and asked her our intriguing 7 questions. Melissa has been with Journey Senior Living company since December of 2017 and has been with Journey Senior Living of Valparaiso since their grand opening in mid-March of this year, 2018.
Her career path is an interesting story. She received my first degree in Wildlife Science. With this degree, she worked in a variety of areas: Marine Biology on the East Coast, working with dolphins in Florida and was a Vet Technician. She decided to try another avenue in her late twenties and received a second degree in Fashion Merchandising and Marketing. This led Melissa to move to California for several years. Then, her career path took a 360. She received a call in December 2010 that her grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. She moved home to help her family take care of her grandmother. During this time she was actively job hunting and found a job as an Activities Director on a Dementia unit at a local nursing home. Melissa says she "fell in love with working with the elderly and knew this is where I was meant to be." In just a few years she moved up as the Assistant Administrator of a building and now resides in the position as the Executive Director. "I chose to move to Journey because I loved the mission of the building, the feeling I get when I walk in the door, and the people I work for/with."
How lucky are we to have Melissa not only for the impact she makes in our industry of caring for our aging loved ones but as a positive and influential leader in our senior housing industry! Here are her response to our questions.
What one thing do you wish for people to already know or keep in mind when they start touring senior housing communities?
Melissa: I want people to know that we understand how hard it is to make the decision to move to this next chapter of their life. Some, if not most of us, have gone through the same exact decision in our own lives. I want them to know that we are here to help in any way, our goal is to make the transition as easiest as can be for the family and their loved ones.
Based on your experience, what is one thing residents, or their adult children, or families wish to achieve by moving into your community?
Melissa: I believe that they wish to achieve peace of mind. They simply want to ensure their loved ones are going to be taken care of and that is what we are here for. We are here to relieve the worries and give them that comfort knowing that their loved ones are in great hands.
What is one common myth you can think of that people have about communities that they find not to be true once they move in?
Melissa: A common misconception is that if someone moves into an Assisted Living facility they lose their independence. That is not the case. This is their home, they can drive, they can administer their own medication, they can have family visit and stay overnight, they can even have a pet! Assisted Living simply offers them a place to live, meals made for them and that extra set of eyes on their care when needed.
What one golden advice can you give adult children who transition their loved one into senior housing?
Melissa: Be patient, the transition is different for everyone and it does get easier and know that the guilt that they may feel will reside once they see their loved one flourish in their new environment.
What 3 things do you love most about your community?
Melissa: Of course, I adore our residents! Each and every one of them are very important to me and I love spending time with them. I also am very proud of the team we have here. I have had visitors say to me, “You can feel the heart and joy when you walk into this building”. That means a lot to me. We ensure that we hire the right people who are here for the right reasons. Lastly, Our food! We do most of our cooking/baking from scratch. Homemade meatloaf, cheesecake, and soups…oh my!! Residents and families rave about the food that our dietary staff makes. We love to see their smiles at every meal!
What is your favorite time of the day for yourself and why?
Melissa: Morning time. I am the first to arise in my household. Its quiet, I can hear the birds outside greeting the day. I breathe it all in, say a positive mantra to get my mind in the right space and make it a good day!
Donna Mae: We should all learn from her example and take note of her daily morning habit! How different would our days be if we won our mornings?
Is there anything else you would like to add about your community, yourself, additional advice to share with the readers.
Melissa: Every facility is different and we know there are several to chose from. Journey Senior Living, once you tour and meet our inviting staff, we know that families will feel the heart and joy in our building. We are here, not only for our residents and future residents but also for their families.
This concludes our 7 questions with Melissa Green, executive director of Journey Senior Living of Valparaiso in Valparaiso, IN. What an honor it has been. I hope you as readers got some golden nuggets from this interview blog. Melissa found her true north in her career path and mission, she focuses on the wellness of her team members, her residents, and family members, and she takes care of her own well being first thing in the morning. Melissa, we are grateful for sharing your time and expertise with us!
Meet Melissa in person along with her dedicated staff in the award-winning Journey Senior Living of Valparaiso by calling her at (219) 250-2038 or through email at melissa@jsl-v.com . Want to learn more about their community, check out their profile with us at http://www.seniorlivinglink.org/directory/assisted-living/journey-senior-living-of-valparaiso-83358
I hope this was helpful to you and that it gave you additional insight and clarity with what you are facing with yourself and your family.
See you at our next 7 questions session.
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