The KentRidge Senior Living Shows Their Colors During Pride Month

In celebration of Pride Month this June, Arrow Senior Living is looking at The Pride Flag, a symbol that is a representation of the forward movements to support and celebrate those in the LGBTQIA+ community. This important piece of the community has a meaning that is described by the colors included.

Red represents life and passion among many cultures. Orange represents healing, fun, and celebration. Yellow is a symbol for sunlight and is said to stimulate new ideas and thoughts. Green is synonymous with nature, a healing place, also associated with prosperity and growth. Blue represents serenity and calmness. Purple is the color of spirit, thought to connect us to the spiritual realm.

At The KentRidge Senior Living Kent, OH, we feel most connected to blue. Our lives are a series of natural and spontaneous changes and with that comes a sense of serenity and calmness.  Feeling safe and loved in the community in which you live is so important. The kindness that our staff and residents show toward one another adds to our calm, serene, and relaxing atmosphere.

As Resident Services Director, when I plan events for our community, I consider how we can accommodate all of the residents who want to participate. We have a variety of daily events, and we love to go on outings. Thankfully we can utilize the lift on our bus, so we can assist residents who need help boarding. As summer approaches we will promote sun safety and the importance of hydration.

If there are ever any safety concerns, they are immediately addressed, so that every event, whether it takes place within the building or outside, is a safe, enjoyable, and rewarding experience. Our therapists provide presentations and remind our residents about safety awareness. We also have monthly in-services for our staff to promote a safe working environment.

In our community, we know that each of our residents have come from different lifestyles and backgrounds. As such, we work to maintain that diverse culture across both residents and staff with targeted programming and staff education efforts. Arrow Senior Living has launched a resident-led Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) speaker series for employee and resident education. Residents interview speakers who represent some of the relevant topics of the day related to diversity, equity, and inclusion ranging from non-binary people and use of pronouns to Juneteenth history. Through our tradition’s council, which coordinates core resident and employee cultural celebrations and education, we work actively to celebrate diversity within our community. This has created a means for residents and employees to join in recognition of each other. The road ahead is to ensure that diversity and inclusion is not just an initiative. Moving forward requires necessary conversations to address discomfort and to open dialogue on important perspectives. This helps to ensure that we are providing not only an enjoyable place to retire, but one where seniors can feel enriched, safe, and excited about life!