From Our CEO: Wrapping Up 2021 with Gratitude
To celebrate our achievements from 2021, our CEO Dan Guill and our leadership team hit the road on a Gratitude Tour, visiting communities and thanking them for everything they do to serve our seniors! On each of his trips, Dan shared highlights from the road and a look behind the scenes at each of the communities he visits. In case you missed it, catch up on his most recent visits here and here.
As the year comes to a close, Dan reflects on our team, our residents, and what he learned throughout the year - on the Gratitude Tour and along the way.
Better Together
At the start of 2021, there was much that needed to be done to support our teams as the pandemic continued into the new year. We did everything we could to create an environment that cultivated resilience and empowered our teams to take care of themselves, each other, and our residents.
To see all of this in-person throughout the Gratitude Tour, especially after the challenges we faced this year – I feel incredibly lucky.
From our community leadership teams, to our nurses, caregivers and chefs, everybody embodies our core values. Spending time at the communities reaffirmed that our culture is our people.
Throughout my visits, I noticed the sense of togetherness, of inclusion, at our communities. Everyone was connected to each other and to the mission to help their residents thrive. This was a highlight for me – seeing commitment and compassion (and fun) in action.
Safety in 2021 & Beyond
Since the beginning of the pandemic, we knew safety during was our greatest challenge and priority for our employees and residents. For this reason, we made the decision to encourage vaccinations for our employees and resident as soon as they were available. This hasn’t been an easy journey, and I’m grateful for everybody who came along with us – and I’m especially grateful for those who joined us in choosing to get vaccinated.
Given all the challenges this year, our accomplishments are notable: more than 95% of our employees and residents are vaccinated against COVID-19, we’re certified as a Great Place to Work for three years in a row, and inclusion is now a core value so all of our employees and residents can feel like they belong.
Hope & Optimism for 2022
Heading into 2022, I feel optimistic and can see a clearer, safer path into the new year. The tough times in 2021 have created strong bonds that brought our team together and helped us develop tenacity and grit. We learned along the way too – about how to be resilient, about ourselves, about keeping our teams and residents safe. We know more, so we can do more … and do better in 2022.
We’ll visit more communities in the new year, and I’m already excited to talk with more of our residents, learn more about our leaders, and spread the good news about how we create spaces where our residents can thrive.
It was great to get back out on the road again throughout the Gratitude Tour.
It was the perfect way to spend the last couple months of 2021 – and was the perfect reminder that the Enlivant team is really something special.