The biggest complaint? No butter.
At Windsor of Palm Coast in Palm Coast, Fla., a Legend Senior Living community, associates went above and beyond. One em- ployee even called and asked if it was okay if she walked to work because her car was a total loss. Here’s another story, as told by Windsor of Palm Coast sales director, Niki O’Brien: “During times like these, people tend to worry about their loved ones before they worry about themselves. That’s where most of the stress comes from: ‘Am I making the right decision for my family?,’ ‘Where’s the safest place for my kids?,’ and ‘Where’s the best place for my mom?’ As the biggest hurricane in recorded history came barreling
toward Palm Coast, many evacuated while some stayed home and prayed for the best. I joined 31 of my colleagues in heading to work at the Windsor. We came to care for a building full of seniors that depend on us for their everyday needs and care. With this decision, we were all able to bring our families into one of the safest buildings in the area. Our building is not only gorgeous, but it withstood a major hurricane with no structural damage. The Windsor was fully prepared (our amazing chef even man-
aged to create delicious meals for 176 people while his kids were playing with mine). Our residence director ran the building so well that the residents, staff, and children barely noticed Irma howling outside. Our home office set up a hurricane command
center with 24-hour sup- port to take calls from con- cerned families, and was in constant contact with communities checking on their safety and any needs. Sunday night, as my
husband rocked our three- month-old to sleep and I tucked our two-year-old safely under my desk, I counted our blessings and thanked God for the safety of our building, kindness of our staff, efficiency, and family-first culture of our company. That Tuesday, Tim Buchanan, founder and chief executive officer of Legend Senior Living, flew into Flagler Airport to personally thank the associates for their service and check in on our residents. It was reported that the biggest resident complaint was that we ran out of butter.”
Windsor of Palm Coast’s sales director Niki O’Brien stayed at the community with her two children during Hurricane Irma.
An Autumn Leaves Facebook posting during Hurricane Irma, keeping loved ones updated on community activity.
Everyday Heroes
In the movies, heroes wear masks and capes and stand tall above the crowd. At Autumn Leaves, their heroes are more under- stated, quietly changing people’s lives for the better. These are the men and women who selflessly put their residents before themselves time and again as wind and rain bore down and waters rose during Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. There was no end to their energy or commitment; they found a way to keep going for days with little to no sleep.
No hat was too big or too small for the team to wear; if the job needed doing, it was done no matter the title. Like Rhon- da, a nurse, and Cheryl, a maintenance manager in Houston, Texas, who prepared three home-cooked meals and two snacks a day for several days in a row when the culinary staff couldn’t reach the building. Or at Autumn Leaves of Pearland, Texas, where care staff stayed up all night checking on their residents as the flood waters inched closer to the building, ensuring they were safe and comfortable. Then there were the executive direc- tors and other members of local operations management who worked tirelessly day in and day out at their communities or remotely from their homes where they were stranded to support their teams 24 hours a day, many braving flooded streets to assist with evacuations, move supplies, or transport residents to sister communities. Life engagement manager, Tonia Gonzales, was happy to make beds or help out with other maintenance tasks when other staff was busy caring for evacuated residents. They never had to be asked, they simply stepped up because
that’s what they do for their family. And many of them did so de- spite losing cars, homes, or other personal possessions to the storm. “Material things can be replaced, lives can’t. Our residents are
our hearts,” said Autumn Leaves executive director Mike Tanner. “It was an act of courage that they left their loved ones at home to come take care of the residents here at Autumn Leaves.”
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