Angels Among Us
As winter storms go, the one that hit North Carolina on January 28 could have been much worse. But as our Carillon team members know all too well, any amount of frozen precipitation can impact life at our assisted living and Alzheimer’s care communities. When the weather turns treacherous outside, Carillon’s “snow angels” keep our senior communities running smoothly on the inside.
These angels among us are team members who go above and beyond the call of duty during inclement weather, as part of a weather emergency plan Carillon put into place many years ago. Working in tandem with other members of the team, snow angels sleep overnight in the building, take on different jobs in the community, and generally do whatever it takes to keep our residents safe and happy. During particularly bad storms in the past, we’ve had team members spend up to a week away from their homes and loved ones.
That wasn’t necessary during this recent winter weather, fortunately, but icy conditions at our Southport and Fayetteville communities did give a new corps of snow angels an opportunity to earn their wings.
In Southport, Executive Director Richard Mabe and 20 members of the day shift team spent nearly 72 hours in the building. With significant amounts of ice accumulating on trees and power lines, Mabe and his team brought in extra food and other provisions, in the event that the community lost power. It didn’t, thank goodness, but Mabe says his team was prepared for whatever Mother Nature had in store.
“To see our team members step up in the way that they did, and without a single complaint, just confirms for me how exceptional they are,” says Mabe. “In fact, one of our dining team members, Susan Ogden, walked more than a mile to work during the worst part of the storm.”
Fayetteville fared slightly better, but Executive Director Phoebe Robertson and a few members of her team spent one night in the building nonetheless, just to be on the safe side. Robertson said the Fayetteville team was determined to not only ride out the storm in style, but to have fun doing it.
“The residents and team members got together and shared stories, had hot chocolate, and just enjoyed seeing the snow,” Robertson said. “And the next day, our residents made figurines, little snow people, out of the ice and snow. It was actually a lot of fun.”
Our “snow angels” really exemplify Carillon’s commitment to providing uncompromising care for seniors. They earned their wings by not only going above and beyond for our residents, but by offering families the peace of mind that comes with knowing that, no matter what, their loved one’s health and happiness is paramount.
Posted in From the President, Resident and Community Life, Resources on February 7, 2014