Ambassadors prepare concerted effort to spread knowledge and passion
Kristian Partington

It has been exactly one month since a team of delegates from Schlegel Villages touched down in Jacksonville, Florida to immerse themselves in the Pioneer Network and its mission to change the culture of aging in our society.

After the intense four-day conference, the 13 Schlegel ambassadors went back to their villages, not as experts, but as humble change agents carrying a message of possibility.

Next week, they will gather again at the Village of Taunton Mills to revisit their experience in Jacksonville, share their stories and design a cohesive vision for how they can all best leverage their commitment to helping residents live lives in the villages filled with meaning, happiness, hope and respect.

This is a lead-up to the operational planning retreat in Collingwood Sept. 26-27, where each ambassador will present to team members from across the organization.

Aspen Lake registered practical nurse Diana Philpott reflects on her time at the conference and the hectic month that followed on the same day fellow ambassadors Melissa Millen from Glendale Crossing and Wendy Miller from the support office are at Aspen Lake talking culture change through conversation cafés.

Diana says it’s wonderful to reconnect with Wendy and Melissa while they visit Windsor, and can’t wait to be with the entire team at Taunton Mills.

The reality is she came home from the conference with a renewed sense of purpose, her sense of care and respect for the people she serves affirmed, but sharing her excitement and insights with team members has been hard to do this past month in the face an extremely busy summer.

Her commitment, however, is firmly rooted in her DNA now, and as September rolls out, she sees a number of opportunities to spread word throughout the village. Simple things will help entrench the concept of person-centredness, she admits; one conversation at a time the culture change moves forward.

Wearing her T-shirt from the conference helps spark questions, she says, and she’s been looking at other ways to inspire people to think differently.

“I’ve been concentrating on the language we use,” she says, explaining that in weekly team meetings she offers new ways to approach daily routines.

“Every week I have new word, so instead of saying we have a new admission in 3055, I say we have a new loved one that has come into our neighbourhood.”

She’s put together pamphlets for the team and will be speaking at the next village advisory team meeting.

Reconnecting with her fellow ambassadors will help her map out next steps on the transformative journey, she says, and joining a larger cross section of team members at operational planning is a wonderful opportunity to give greater depth of meaning to the changing culture of aging at Schlegel Villages.

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