At Embrace Living Communities, our mission is to support seniors and people with disabilities by helping them age with dignity in affordable and welcoming communities that embrace living. As Chief Executive Officer, I’ve had the distinct privilege of seeing residents embrace life in unique ways. I am proud of the ways our community teams inspire residents and create environments that foster health and wellness. Our leadership team and I will always provide the resources necessary to empower our teams and help our residents live well at home.
Embrace Living’s recent renovation initiative is a perfect example of our commitment to resident health and wellness. Twelve of our communities in the Chicagoland area (eight of which have been completed) have undergone significant updates. Residents’ needs involve both physical and mental health, which is why we’ve developed spaces for individual exercise as well as group activities.
We’ve gone beyond adding a few treadmills to shared areas and designed spaces that are safe, modern, accessible and versatile enough to encourage activities that meet a wide range of residents’ health and wellness needs. These are spaces residents use regularly.
Social service coordinators at our communities are essential to facilitating the use of these spaces and influencing healthy outcomes. They foster a community culture where residents are more engaged with their health and wellness, and their efforts are getting results. Many residents have decreased or eliminated health risks, including those related to heart disease. They’re keeping residents out of the hospital and removed from a healthcare system that is overloaded and costly. We’re doing our part as a housing provider to help reduce the strain on the system by keeping residents living independently.
As we look forward to the next few years and further community renovations, I am excited that more residents will have access to spaces that encourage health and wellness. Our leadership team will designate available resources to ensure residents benefit fully from these improvements. We will continue to support our social service coordinators in every way possible as well.
However, our organization’s ambitions won’t be achieved by government funding alone. We need the support of community partners to be successful long term. Partnerships with health and wellness program providers, as well as community foundations who understand the advantages of quality affordable housing in our communities, are essential. Together, we can provide the staffing, equipment and building improvements to create the best outcomes for residents. I welcome program providers and community-focused funders to join our mission, giving residents the healthy and happy lives they deserve.
Any donation amount helps our residents maintain the culture of health and wellness we’ve built. Want to learn more about how you can support these initiatives? Contact Alina Serban at aserban@embraceliving.org for more information.
Feel free to contact us for any future resident, current resident, or general inquiries.
