The little things matter. A favorite table at lunch. Eggs prepared just right. A warm greeting from someone you’ve known for years.
That kind of seamlessness doesn’t happen overnight, though. It comes with experienced service from long-tenured staff who intuit each resident’s needs and genuinely celebrate their milestones.
Diane, the Executive Director at Atria Tinton Falls, believes that consistency is one of the community’s greatest strengths. With a host of staff who’ve been at the community since the doors opened 25 years ago, she says residents are known and understood in ways that aren’t learned from a chart.
Trust takes time
Kristin is one of those long-tenured staff. As a cook at Atria Tinton Falls, she’s created healthy and delicious meals for 25 years, and while she loves to whip up everything from braised duck to strawberry crunch cake, it’s the meaningful connections that keep her coming back.
“My favorite part?” Kristin reflects. “The residents. I come out here every day,” she says, gesturing to the dining room. And the residents are happy to see her, too – both because she’s their favorite cook in the kitchen, and because they know she’s always willing to listen.
“I’ve been here a long time,” she says. “They’re comfortable with me.”
Kristin’s longevity also makes her a trusted mentor for new staff who turn to her for instruction and advice – helping to shape a whole team of cooks and servers who residents can trust.
Care beyond the job description
For many veteran employees, caring for residents extends well beyond their official responsibilities.
Rita, for example, has spent 25 years making the community’s apartments shine as a housekeeper, but her work is equally about making people smile. “You have to understand when they have a bad day,” she says, “and make them laugh.”
For Rita, kindness changes everything, and that approach has led to lasting relationships with residents and their families.
“You know, to move to a new place, where you have to meet new friends,” Rita says of moving to senior living, “you have to find people who understand you.”
It makes sense that Rita is so often a resident’s first new friend, since she stops by their apartment regularly to keep the space spotless. And for Rita, tidying an apartment is just another way she can make a resident’s world a little more beautiful.
“I love it,” Rita says of the job. “I love to help – that’s why I’ve been here for 25 years.”
Happy staff mean a happy community
In addition to knowing residents deeply, those decades of experience mean staff anticipate each other’s needs, communicate efficiently and step in without hesitation.
Diane says she often turns to longtime employees, whether she’s away for the day or navigating unexpected challenges. By comparison, she’s a newbie after only five years with the community – but you’d never know. Whether she’s singing Broadway tunes at karaoke or traversing snowstorms to make sure residents – and the staff who stay late to support them – are fed, Diane has been committed to the role from day one.
When asked how she measures success, Diane says it’s when a family member offers a simple “Thank you.” Because what really matters is that they’ve made a meaningful difference.
Experience is everything
At Atria, we’ve honed our approach to serving older adults for 30 years. And in each community, long-tenured teams make every day as easy as it is delightful. They know who prefers extra cream in their coffee, who needs a little encouragement to join an exercise class and the family members who walk through the front door for a visit.
That familiarity is what transforms everyday service into genuine care.
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