Live Event: MorningStar at Hillsboro Opens, with Adam Ortega

*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.

Welcome to the answers for elders radio show. meet the trusted experts who will give you straight answers and we’ll health guide you on the path of later life care. Now here’s your host, founder, caregiver and CEO, Susan Newman, and welcome to everyone to answers for ou there’s radio network and we’re here on a special live event. Usually I’m in my studio, but is you’ve been tell by the background, I’m in a new location. This morning. My husband and I’ve got up from Michael TA, Washington, which is near Lynnwood, and we ended up driving down this morning and got here and so we had the privilege of being with the staff from a brand new community, and that is morning star Hillsboro, Oregon, and it was a lovely day. And you know, I have to say we have a very special guest with us today and this is Mr Adam Ortega, and you are the maintenance director. Is What is your official title? So that it is. That makes direct okay, and tell us a little bit about what a maintenance director actually does in a community like this. A lot of things. I’m sure I go down the list all day with it, but a majority of it right now is with a brand new community of just making sure that it is up to par for our residence, and that is making sure that the quality of the building is sound and making sure that, as they move in, also like taking care of them with hanging any pictures and either TV, making sure their appliants work for them and just also, you know, really just helping out and with anything else they need, you know. Yeah, and I bet you’re very much involved with the move in side and yet thinks so. If there’s a special, you know, hookup that they need, that there’s any sort of extra light fixtures that they want to hang them out their table, I bet you do that too. Absolutely special request all the time. I mean, yeah, there’s no task too small or too large for me and I always want to make them feel at home. Yeah, and hanging curtain wrong, exactly, all those things. So so, Adam, just a little bit of background. How did you get into this? Yea, I know you’re amazing maintenance person, but in the senior living space. What brought you here? Well, what it really was is my girlfriend. She does sales for a larger community as well, and she’s always been pushing for me because I’ve always been in construction alone. I’ve done instruction for about ten years. I know I don’t look it, but I’ve been doing this for a long time and I thought I knew it was time for a transition where I just really wanted to give back and it it. I started going to events and volunteering and I just really seeing the difference it makes for people and and it does just the smiles and, you know, and they really appreciate it. I mean see is really do and I just wanted to give back and I felt like it was time and I was a good spot to transition to that. And Yeah, I found this beautiful community. Matt has been such a, you know, great mentor in all this and and so I’ve just I love it. I mean it been here for almost a year now and I helped open a building up in Kirkland, who was our sister building and beautiful. I’ve been up there too. Yeah, you probably can, iagine. Yes, absolutely. So I helped them open their doors as well and then I came here and did the same thing and it’s been just a blessing. So are you? Are you when you say are you kind of overseeing both buildings and for the most. No, I was just up there, you know, because they didn’t have anybody in place quite yet. So I’m they’re temporarily, just temporary for about three to four months. But yeah, you gotliar. With my neck of the woods, yes, where my my world is. So so tell me a little bit about you know, when somebody moves in. Obviously I made a huge mistake when I moved my mother into senior living and I always left myself now because I thought I was doing the right thing, and really what I was doing is I surprised my mother with all the furniture. Okay, I realized that was about thing to yeah, they want their own things, they want to make it feel like it’s home. Absolutely. You know, a lot of the things I know that we did is we did a lot on the maintenance person when I moved my mom and a senior living and she had a doll collection, huge doll collection. That was important to her, and so we got this idea and and the maid, this guy, he did a whole shelf all the way around her bedroom and we lined all with dolls, which was amazing. So set so you guys have to kind of get creative at times. Do Not yes, absolutely so. With a lot of these, I mean for these newer buildings. I, like I said, no task is too small or to too large. I’ve been putting an additional I mean I’ve even told some of the residents I’d be willing to knock out a wall if they needed it. You’re so whatever makes them feel at home and it just it. It brings me joy to do. Yeah, just to make them feel at home because, I mean a lot of a lot of these residents have been coming out of their homes that have been living there for fifty years plus and it’s a huge transition. So anyway I can do and make it a little bit easier for them is it’s a joy to me. So well, it absolutely is, because, you know, when you think about we would just talking earlier about the fact of you know, it is a huge transition, but it’s also we want seniors to keep their passions exactly. Know, it’s like if dad had a wood shop someplace, we’re going to figure out a way that dad can have one here, that mom had a rose garden and we’re going to figure out find a little plot of land someplace where she can bring her favorite roses or maybe bring in, you know, a Garden Club meeting or some kind of activities that can help connect them to all the you know, the different types of communities, you know that are that are important to them. That feeds their passion absolutely. I’m sure you do get questions like that. Absolutely do that and yeah, absolutely so. A lot of residents are sometimes hesitant on something they want done, you know, and I always like to tell them, this is your space. If you have an idea, to throw it out there. I would love to hear it and on one that and we could take it into consideration one hundred percent and any way we can help with that. I’m here for them. I am a huge resource that they can use, and so it’s just I want them, I don’t want them to ever hesitate on a question of what they want. You know, that’s so interesting that you say that, because I think people have this perception here that if I go to senior living I’m going to lose my freedom, I’m going to lose my identity, I’m going to lose who I am. And and yet, you know, I think what’s really important is the legacy piece of it. It’s like I want to bring something, I want to I want to contribute, I want to have a sense of purpose and I do believe that that’s something that you know, that your organization it goes bends over backwards and in the different communities that I’ve had the privilege of. What’s some of the request that you’ve held so far? I mean, it can be just for additional shelving. It’s been a huge one. And hanging anything. I mean, you should see some of these beautiful pieces of artwork that they have, but they they are older, so they are a lot heavier. Yeah, yeah, they’re right. There is a lot of a not doing things from posterscom. Now they are and they’re doing these big, beautiful art pieces and I just I want them to know that anything. Yeah, is closet system exactly. So nicing additional shelving, like I just got doing a residence room where she wanted three additional shelves all the way down and additional clothes hanger and Hang TV set, hang TV sets all day. That’s’s number one thing. Yeah, and then, of course, you know, let’s talk about the kitchens, okay, and yours, your different partners. Tell us a little bit about the different types of apartments that you have so the kitchens. We do have some that are Ada so that all the ranges are front faced and R and also we have are friars that stoves are all now are friars? Yes, new to me and I’ve never seen that. So it’s a great we’re learning together, as me and the residents her. Yes, absolutely, and I mean with with it. A lot of it. It’s just making sure the plumbing is good, and I mean it. Residency really happy with the kitchen here. So yeah, and and obviously you know, because all meals are provide it like they are. The beauty of this is is that you don’t need to bring all your kitchen get kitchen gadgets and exactly you really want to exactly so instead of bringing, you know, your your big China cabinet in your dining room set. You don’t need to do that. No, not at all. Have there’s private areas where you can host a little parties, you can do different things like that, and then, of course you’re probably involved a lot in that kind of stuff too, if there’s a special event or something going out. Absolutely I do a lot of the set up for these special events and I do a lot of the clean up as well, so, and we are now going to be started providing trash ballet. So for the residents it makes it so much easier. They don’t have to but if they would feel free, we have trash shoot on every floor just to make it more convenient for them as well. And it’s just I really like these parties because you really can see that it brings the best out of people. Yeah, and we’ve been having people come through here quite a bit and I was really excited to have the opportunity to kind of come here and spend a little time learning about you know, their comments as they’re coming through and they say this is incredible, and I think one of the things that now have to remember is that those of us that are baby boomers, like myself, we have these memories. are what senior living used to be, you know, twenty five years ago. HMM. It’s not that way anymore. No, not at all. It’s it’s like living in a wonderful, I say beautiful, hotel, but not stuffy. And then, and I really want people that understand, it’s not like you have to get feel like you get dressed up. I did walk through down here and I saw your dining room. It was perfect. Absolutely was perfect because it’s it’s nice, but it’s not white table cloths. You don’t feel like you have to get all dressed up, come on through everyone. Are you enjoying yourself? Just days? Yeah. So, anyway, and a lot of it is what this being a brand new building, we have so many security like securities a huge part of this building. We have a whole new FOB system which makes so much you don’t have to have so many jingle I chis and you just carry a little wristband and it’s access is every door. I mean we have twenty four hour concier if anything ever happened. So I mean it’s security is a huge part of it. We also have our call help buttons if they ever need something. Yeah, so, absolutely, it’s just security is number one for us. To us. Yeah, yeah, well, and you know that’s what’s so important, is is the peace of mind if you’re if you’re thinking about you know, maybe mom or dad. They’re doing fine right now, but you know sometimes you worry a little bit about you know, are they two isolated? And and that’s an important thing to think about and and certainly an organization like this to come in and have you know, all your meals, everything all inclusive and you have the ability to be a part of them vibrant community. I think that’s really important and so Adam how people get Ahold of you if here, that this community, if you’re interested in the door, they can just go to morning starcom Hillsboro and there’s a link there. I don’t take you straight to the page and just put a little bit of your information and we’ll get reach out to you as best as we fabulous and for those of you that are watching across the country, you will find that more start has communities throughout pretty much the midwest to Pacific regions, and so check out the website. This is hillsborough, but it’s certainly the brand wherever you are in the USA. In at least I know Denver, Arizona, Texas, Mexican makes California, Arizona, Washington, Ornia, Washington. I think there’s even idahom on town and then and then I know there’s new community going in in Houston. Absolutely. So you guys know that we’re really excited to have you and learn a little bit about morning starts. Pretty Amazing Organization and we’re going to be featured a lot of different interviews today, so stay tuned. Will be right that, right afterness, we it answers for elders. Thank you for listening. Did you know that you can discover hundreds of podcasts in our library on senior care? So visit our website and discover our decision guides. That will help you also navigate decision. Again, find us it answers for ALDERS DOCUMENT