Active Day of Fort Wayne Celebrates Listening and Inclusion
Everything we do here at Active Day is centered around helping our members maintain independence and dignity, which is why we built our business with the mission to provide a fun, engaging, and compassionate environment that not only supports our members mentally but physically as well! Our seven Values are instilled within our Centers and Home Care locations to ensure our teams and leaders align with our mission and provide services our families trust, and our members love. For the next seven months, we will celebrate our Seven Values with our teams and members and share their stories!
Our first Value to be celebrated was Start by Listening, which means to truly listen, you must open your eyes, your ears, and your heart, and our team at Active Day of Fort Wayne, IN, did just that! Looking for services can be challenging, and it doesn’t always click the first time around. It can be intimidating walking into a new environment and being surrounded by people you aren’t familiar with. However, all of our Active Day Centers are aware of this and ensure we make everyone feels welcome as possible when they walk through our doors. This past month, Active Day of Fort Wayne shared their story on how they instill this Value in their Center with their new members and their families.
Dodie and her family reached out to Active Day of Fort Wayne, looking for services to help Dodie socialize, stay active, and have a safe environment where she can be herself. Her husband used to be a member at the Center, so they were familiar with Active Day and knew it would be great. However, Dodie wasn’t convinced she needed to become a member just yet. We understand making this decision can be challenging, which is why we offer trial days at all our Centers, allowing those interested in our services to test out a day for free, ensuring they feel comfortable before committing.
It was important to the family that their mother join, so the Active Day of Fort Wayne team talked with Dodie and her family to find out what was most important to her and how they could incorporate it into her day-to-day activities. The Center Director, Morgan, and Activity Manager, Mary, found that Dodie wanted to be independent by volunteering, but due to her circumstances, she wasn’t able to do so. So, the team actively listened and thought outside the box to create a way for Dodie to feel a sense of purpose and be independent while under the care and supervision of their team.
Before attending Active Day, Dodie had been employed at a company and therefore wanted to be in the action as much as possible. Every day, the Center provides countless activities and programs that are both physically and mentally active for our members. Dodie loves baking, crafts, gardening, and being social, so the team incorporated Dodie’s interests into her care plan and organized her day in a way that best fits her needs. Dodie followed a schedule allowing her to stand with the team and help “direct” activities, which resulted in her gaining confidence and a sense of pride. As the team leads exercise, Dodie stands beside them, full of enthusiasm and a smile, while encouraging her peers to exercise along with our team. She also enjoys decorating the Center with Mary on their themed days and sitting with our Program Aides while they organize the next activity, voicing her opinion on the next step, and conversing with the team on what they will do. Dodie’s favorite part of Active Day is ensuring everyone is happy and enjoying themselves.
Trying new things can be scary; however, because the team at Active Day of Fort Wayne paid attention to what Dodie needed in order to thrive not only physically but mentally as well, it allowed her to feel included, independent, and fulfilled. She was anxious and felt she didn’t belong at the Center, so Morgan and her team found what was important to her and ensured it was incorporated into her day-to-day activities while she attended the Center. Because of their attention to detail, communication with Dodie and her family, and a true understanding of what it means for Dodie to have a purpose and be independent, they created a space that she enjoys being in every single day and the family can trust.
Call the Center today at 260-484-2414 to schedule a tour, or check out their Facebook Page here to see what’s happening!
