Letters from residents and their families consistently come to Charlene Lindsay-Jorgensen, Executive Director of Atria Park of Lynbrook, raving about Neisha’s warm and engaging style.
Neisha Cope is the Life Guidance Program specialist at the New York senior living community. She’s made it her mission to engage every resident – even the most hesitant – and help them live their best lives.
“Neisha’s one of our go-to people if a resident is feeling shy,” Lindsay-Jorgensen says. “People gravitate to her because of her energy and enthusiasm. We’ve had families say, ‘My dad’s reluctant to try new activities, but Neisha gets him involved. With Neisha there, he’ll engage.’”
Neisha enjoys putting her own twists on the activities on the daily calendar and adjusting her approach to suit the residents she’s working with.
“Sometimes I come in in the morning with a plan, but something comes up and I adjust on the fly,” Neisha says. “Everyone has a different personality. You have to watch each person’s personality, then change to match it.”
When the residents were studying pineapples as a theme one day, Neisha took things a step further by showing them how to make mocktails by carving out the fruit and filling in the juice.
Last Halloween, residents didn’t just dress up – they also divided into teams of spiders, bats, scarecrows, and superheroes and played games between the groups.
“I just love people, especially older adults,” Neisha says. “Putting a smile on their faces is a great feeling.”
Neisha is always looking for new ways to get residents involved. One resident, for instance, loved staying up to date on local and global news. Neisha gave her an assignment to come into the community and report what she’d learned each day.
The session often spurs discussions and conversation amongst residents and keeps them engaged with events across the globe.
“What she’s done is create a socialization activity,” Lindsay-Jorgensen says. “By engaging a resident’s skill, interest or hobby, it allows them to share that interest in a very meaningful and positive way. Neisha’s really ticking off all the boxes when it comes to just that one thing.”
Ticking off all the boxes, and connecting with people, seems to come naturally to Neisha.
“She’s so dynamic, so vibrant. Everything she’s involved in has this energy – there’s color and music,” Lindsay-Jorgensen says. “She’s always at a ‘10’ when it comes to the work that she’s doing with the residents.”