CarePartners Outreach, with Kelley Smith

*The following is the output of transcribing from an audio recording. Although the transcription is largely accurate, in some cases it is incomplete or inaccurate due to inaudible passages or transcription errors.

And welcome back everyone to answer for elvish radio and we’re here again with Kelly Smith as we’re talking about care partners and bringing your seniors back out into the community and we certainly have had a just a wealth of information come forward in the last forty five minutes as we’ve all been sitting here listening, and I am so lucky to have somebody in my world like Kelly Smith, because, Kelly, and stop it, but a little louder. It’s like. You know, one of the things I know about you is you have the biggest heart, one of the biggest hearts of anybody. I know I’m to with these hair great, hair brained schemes of mine. And you know way back when, of course, I said Kelly, I got this idea of working with the seahawks and you twelve days of goodness together, and ever since then you’ve been this amazing support for us and will be even bigger this year as we are able to do the program this year. And I know, but I want to talk to you a little bit about just care partners in the community. I think you better. I think one of your core issues is been and we haven’t really emphasized that enough of you know how much involvement that you guys truly have and it really comes from a core value, and I know that in introduced and interviewing your CEO, you know, a while ago, when we’re talking about things, he talked again about the core value of being other community right and to be the greatest advocates for our seniors and families that are dealing with a lot of these difficult issues. And so, Kelly, would you speak a little bit before we get into the things you’re doing, about what is that value within care partners? Well, care partners, we put our money where our mouth is and our belief is always bad. I gues, I remember this company in February was ten years and they have never disappointed me. They say they support people with Alzheimer’s. So guess what? We were a major sponsor of the discovery conference this year for the Alzheimers. Why? Because we’d love to see a cure. And people look at us and go but it isn’t that your bread and butter. No, these are seniors who were suffering from dementia. So yeah, secure would be lovely. We’ll find something else to do. There’s always going to be a need to care for seniors will be fine. It’s the right thing to do. And how dare you say you support people with Alzheimer’s disease and not support the Alzheimer’s Association? I’m sorry, but that’s a real stickler. I’ve hundred percent agree with you. Know, I just I feel like these guys will offer sup port for families. They help them get things set up for you the charge, and all they ask for for people like us to support them. Why can’t we do that? So we do. We are sponsoring, sponsoring, but we’re actually registering for the walks this year because we’ll be part of that. Every year we do whatever we can actually be able to have a big walk and we hope. We’re waiting to see what. Yeah, but actually getting out there and getting some exercise and fresh air and bringing attention to this cause is is a big deal to us. We’ve been there every year, so I can’t even I don’t even know the last time we I don’t even know if we’ve ever missed a year. We’re also involved a lot of our residents suffer from Parkinson’s disease, so we are locked in really tight with the American Parkinson’s Disease Association. They’re on Nickels Nickerson there and I’ll shout out to Jean and Jan if they’re listening. We do a lot of work with you guys. You know what, the twelve day and we’ll talk a little bit about a new program you’ve got coming on that we’re involved in that I’m so excited about because of what it’s going to do for our residents. We do a lot of work with like missed northeast Seattle together. There’s a lot of things were involved in because it benefits the life of our residents, and that’s what people need to understand. We don’t do these things like we’re gonna. We’re doing the fourth of July party up and Everett where major, we’re d major sponsor this year. Why? Because they promised US primect for a bunch of my residents in my assisted living community and evert right that they’re gonna love it. So is it worth it to get our name out there? You Bet, but there’s a side note for me. My side note is my residents get prime seats to the party ass so you know, there’s always a benefit in it for our people and any time we can do something that lets them know behind the scenes we care about you guys. You know the sponsorships we do. Every company doesn’t, right, don’t kid yourself. Every company does sponsorships, they do advertising. Where are you putting your money? Are you putting your money into the things that benefit the families and the people you’re taking care of? And I hope that care partners proves that we do what we say we’re going to do. And Yeah, that’s the thing that I think. You guys are innovators too. I mean you’re not afraid to step out and do something new and and there. You know, a lot of times, you know, you’ll talk to me being having an advertising background. Unless it’s something that’s tried and true, that has been going on for a long time, I’m not going to put my money into something you’ve never been. Had that philosophy as if anything, it’s the opposite. It’s like, how can we reach people that aren’t being reached right now, you know, how can we step out and decent things? And covid has presented not, you know, obviously, new opportunities, because we have a segment of our population that have been locked up for four hundred and fifty days and you know, I have been agonizing because I’m hearing so many stories of, you know, seniors who have neglected their medications or, you know, not hydrated property or having bad falls or all the different things that are going on as a result of being cooped up for as long as they have. And you know me and and my heart is always been my two most important causes, I guess, for answers for elders is the memory care issue, that the Alzheimer’s dementia side, and also the loneliness which is really a contributor to dimension Alzheimer’s. And so to look at what can we do, you know what, having that ability to say how can I make a difference in in our lonely seniors right now? And that’s so one of the things we did about eight months ago, which you guys participated in, is we teamed up with the wheels of boom, which all the seahawk cars were and we went and did drive by to the the communities all across, you know, the area, and that was really, really an amazing experience in the seniors could only wave at us through the windows. Could we were to real is fill love the absolutely loved it. That was so much fun for them. And we went, I believe we went to Renton. We went to a couple I think one of your communities in the way south like it. I think it was. It was you guys went down to my tacoma place and, yeah, I think it was now. And then we obviously did vine your park and bottle and and then we vine your park up and not like Terris, I think we did four of your can guys really good and I’m telling you, the residents talked about it for a long time afterwards because it brought joy. Uh Huh. This is the kind of stuff I’m talking about. I know all the planning you did behind it. I know it was no easy cake wall cordinate crazy people, but a good time and the vehicles like you and I are doing to help people make a difference. And so I asked myself the question, what can I do right now? And it’s kind of ironic because many of our listeners may not know that I am. I am a fanatical, crazy golden doodle honor I golden doodle with me, is usually with me everywhere and most people that know me she goes with me on on twelve days of goodness and people know her and she’s just like, you know, this silly goopball that but I that door, this dog. But they are also make incredible service animals in their pet right and they’re also a hypologetic there, you know, in some many of them have the high intelligence with the poodle, you know, breathing. And so I had this idea because I’m the senior Admin of the facebook group on Washington doodle on the owners and we have about almost six thousand people in that group right now just in Washington state that own doodle dogs. And so I reached out to Kelly and I said I have this crazy idea. I want to start a therapy dog program and where we could get some owners to step up and start training their pet, family pets, to becoming therapy animals that can help and target our seniors that are home alone. And so, Kelly, think you. Care Partners is our sponsor. So this is so excited. I don’t think I’ve ever been more excited in my life to get to do something like this. I just enjoy that’s going to bring residents the comforts just dogs alone are awesome and now we get these awesome train dogs. They get to come in and wait. Yes, and we’re going to go. And here’s here’s the beauty of this. We are yes, we’re going to come into communities and we’re definitely going to come visit care partners communities, but even more importantly, we want to help see seniors that are isolated at home. So you know, if if our listeners know of a you know senior that it’s a home that’s dealing with anxiety into, you know, integrating back into the world again, please reach out to either Kelly or myself and we will make sure that they we match you up with a pooch somewhere. And if you want more information, there’s an article on answers for elders on our home page right now. That’s telling a little bit about what we’re up to. But last night we had a very first training meeting and we had fifty five of our members starting. We’re having another training meeting on Monday for a whole new group. So I it’s my hope out of this group, let’s just say we have fifty brand new therapy doodles that will be fully trained within them the next you know, three four months. It’ll be incredible. Are Helping our seniors come forward so I love it. I want to give you a formal thank Oh, thank you, Kelly, for all you guys do in the community for those with Alzheimer’s, those with Parkinson’s, those with mobility issues, with being involved in the in the walks, with helping our families if they call and they might not be a fit for your community, but that never stops you from from being there for our loved ones. And, on a personal note, from us, thank you for your continued sponsorship with twelve days of goodness and also big time for our therapy Google program. I just really want to say thank you. So you’re so very welcome. It’s an honor. Like I said, the things we do, we look at it, you know, we really do look at what we’re spending our money on and and we always look at at again. How does it match with with who we are as people and what kind of people do we want people to know us as? And Yeah, I’m a big DORC, you know, big Goof, and I’m okay with that. You can know me as that. I don’t take myself seriously, but I take what we do seriously and the one thing I’ll tell you is when we look at where we’re spending our dollars for sponsorships and things like that, when those sponsorships also come back to us as a way to support our residents, that’s when you get my my happy Irish self going. Let’s do this, because, well, how do we reach you? CARE partners? Livingcom is a way to check out testimonials, see pictures, see the communities. There’s virtual tours and then you can really check it out before you you get the gumption to actually make a phone call. So so everyone, I want to thank Kelly for being with us this hour and I want each and every one of you to have a wonderful father’s Day weekend, no matter what you are doing. Happy Father’s Day to our dads and all of out those that maybe be a surrogate dad. It’s also for them too, and they can to Anchi and everyone of you have a wonderful week and be good to each other.