Staff engage with and bond with the residents

 

By Marijke Fakasiieiki

Michael Schleigh may be the new chief operating officer for Riverview Retirement Community, but he also knows from working there eight years that his role is about more than facilities, construction and management.

It includes engaging and bonding with residents.

That's the role of all staff.

"We expect staff to slow down and interact with residents every day—all staff in all departments—dining, clinical and maintenance. Everybody knows our residents by name and knows that giving them time is the most rewarding part about working here," said Mike.

Most people work there because they care about seniors.

"It's about having positive interactions with people who are aging and creating a home and caring for them," Mike said. "Some families may not be able to visit often, so we make sure residents know they have a family here."

Mike sees connection between his faith and the practical experiences of working in this close-knit retirement community.

Riverview started in its current location in 1959. Before that in another location, it was a Lutheran group home for women and children. Recognizing the need for elderly housing, along with a donation of the land, it transitioned to Riverview Lutheran of Spokane.

The idea was that many Lutheran churches would be involved in Riverview. They are among board members today, but Mike said the board now includes people of many faiths.

Christianity plays a role in that the leadership team starts every day in prayer.

"Sometimes we also start with a positive affirmation, but for the most part from the first day I was here, we started in prayer," said Mike. "That helps us as leaders. It grounds us and reminds us we are here to serve our residents and staff.

"Servitude, putting other people before ourselves and treating people like we would want to be treated, ultimately is rooted in faith," he said.

Mike's role grew from director of plant operations to chief operating officer in March 2024. The main change is having a voice and more interaction with the board.

"I'm into strategic planning and interested in hearing and adding to the board's vision from my experience having boots on the ground and a real grasp of Riverview," he said.

As director of plant operations, he was in charge of capital improvements, construction, operations, maintenance, security, emergency services, IT and transportation. The chief operating officer role absorbed several more departments, freeing CEO Danie Monaghan to focus on Riverview's mission, resident care, industry changes and growth.

"Strategic planning is ongoing. A board committee is constantly tweaking it as the industry changes and as Riverview adapts," Mike said.

"We are a life-plan community, which means residents join our family and live on our campus at any level once they reach the age of 55," he said.

Typically, residents join Riverview when they are independent, recently retired, looking for more social opportunities and not wanting to spend time doing things like mowing a lawn or keeping up a home.

As the years progress, their care needs may change, and they may move to another layer of care within Riverview but still on the same campus in the same community with the same friends and neighbors.

For example, if one spouse is taking care of the other and finds the care unmanageable, the spouse needing more care can live in the assisted living facility and the spouse who is more independent can still be with their loved one, but without the burden of care.

Riverview also has a standalone dementia and Alzheimer's building capable of serving 32 residents.

Its programming allows for interaction between staff and residents.

Riverview offers in-home care to residents on campus, as well as in the larger Spokane community. It is also hiring staff to provide a higher level of care to clients in their homes on campus. In six months, they plan to expand to include home health, a higher level of care that allows nursing services in the home, said Mike.

Before coming to Riverview, Mike worked in a similar role for eight years at another health care facility, running  capital improvement, operations, contracted services and security departments for 12 building sites from Spokane to Pullman and around the state. Before that, he served at another assisted living facility.

After high school, Mike did crab fishing in Alaska, owned a construction business and did commercial maintenance. He's a certified building operator with most of his education in that field.

With construction seasonal in some places, he did commercial maintenance at Itron for six years. Then he was a real estate appraiser in Central Oregon for several years. When he returned to Spokane, he started to work at a retirement community.

"I've always had a passion to serve. My mother was an in-home caregiver for many years. I grew up in a fairly poor household. We had to support each other," said Mike.

Faith played a role in his formation. As a child, he attended a Baptist church on his block. When he and his wife had young children, they started attending a Presbyterian church.

Mike discussed interacting with residents.

"Riverview has several centenarians. Some are quite mobile. I hope I can walk as well when I'm 60," he said.

One man he interacts with daily in the Alzheimer's facility is a sports enthusiast.

"I make it a point every time I walk through that facility to talk with him about sports. His eyes light up, and he's able to have a conversation. For someone suffering with Alzheimer's, that's rewarding for me," Mike said.

Through the years, Riverview's mission has been to provide care to both the senior population and the staff.

COVID was the biggest crisis they faced in decades. Now post-COVID, the community has recovered from being in hyper-protection mode to keep residents safe, following  stringent state compliance rules, which were hard on its residents.

Neighbors of an independent resident in one of the village homes became concerned when she seemed to be isolating herself and not often leaving her home. Her family did not live close by.

"We reached out to engage with her. She was initially against moving into assisted living, but in time it was clear that was where she needed to be. Since she moved to assisted living, she has been thriving, realizing she could attend activities that she couldn't before because she was not driving.

"It can be too far for some residents to walk to an event in the activities building. No longer concerned with cooking meals, she has improved cognitively. She loves attending church services, art clubs, movies and other social activities. She has become a social butterfly," Mike said.

Some operations staff, like maintenance or groundskeeping, see independent residents more than clinical staff, who are focused on assisted living and memory care.

Daily activities on campus vary. Residents are also transported by shuttle to the symphony, local restaurants or the grocery store. Artists and musicians visit and there are movies in a theater built on campus four years ago. Riverview also hosts birthday parties, holiday events, barbecues, a car show, craft fairs and other events.

A remodel of the lobby created a communal space for residents and staff to spend time together and converse.

"Riverview's mission is to care about our residents at all levels, to engage them spiritually, physically and mentally," Mike affirmed. "Engagement gives staff opportunities to connect and form bonds with residents."

For information, call 483-6483 or visit riverviewretirement.org.