VITLIA Active Adult Community® – Montrose 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 VITALIA Active Adult Community® – Montrose Copley, OH, we feel most connected to yellow. Our community is a bright, cheery place that fosters friendly conversation and encourages laughter and lightness. The goal we set for ourselves every day and within each event is to grow, not only the capacity of our brains by learning new things, but also the width of our smiles with loads of laughter. Sometimes trying something new can be intimidating and our residents ease this transition for new folks by acting as ambassadors. They are lighthouses, beacons of goodness, guiding the uncertain toward the joys of a previously unknown experience with bright, shiny beams of golden love.

As a Resident Services Director I support making my community a safe place to live and work by always being curious. When I truly get to know residents and their core, I can help create bonds of friendship between like-minded individuals in our community. This creates a network of support that extends far beyond what a Resident Services Director or any staff can provide. It also builds trust between staff and residents so that there is a level of comfort achieved and people feel at ease speaking openly, even during difficult or necessary conversations.

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!