Arbor Terrace Teaneck Executive Director Elizabeth “Liz” Andropoli has been part of the Arbor team for eight years but has worked in the senior living industry for 18 years. Prior to working in senior living, she worked seven years in health care.
When asked what she enjoys most about her role and what motivates her, Liz says, “I know that this may sound a bit cliché, but what I enjoy most is serving and making a difference in the lives of seniors, their families and my team members. I am motivated by the passion I feel for what I do.”
Making a senior living decision begins with asking oneself what your wants and needs are. Since today’s senior living communities have so much to offer in terms of lifestyle, knowing your top three important needs/wants will enable you to channel your search accordingly.
Liz has made it her mission to encourage families to ask the obvious questions when searching for a senior living community for loved ones; questions such as, “What services do you offer?” and “What care do you provide?” She feels it is equally important to inquire about the people and staff who will be providing those services, because their commitment and level of care experience is what will make the difference. She also believes questions about the longevity of the community’s leadership team and the average length of service of the frontline team are paramount to better understanding the consistent quality of service you can expect from the community.
The team insists that at Arbor Terrace Teaneck, it's all about deep connections and proclaims it is set apart as unique because of its eclectic, cosmopolitan mix of residents, ranging from artists, authors and Broadway directors to business professionals. These are individuals who have traveled around the world and enjoy sharing their life experiences and photographs with one another. Our proximity to New York City (20 minutes to Manhattan) has made past outings to museums, Broadway shows and restaurants fun and easy.
“We carefully select team members with serving hearts who are great advocates for our residents. My team members have even visited residents while in the hospital or rehab during their time off work,” recalls Liz. “In fact, I once went to visit a resident [who] was in rehab and entered her room to find one of my dining servers already there visiting. To my wonderful surprise, I found out that she frequently goes and visits residents who are in the hospital and rehab on her days off. I had housekeeping staff who did the same because of their love and connection with our residents.”
To show their commitment to fostering the many talents of the residents, the entire management team once performed in the comedic play, “Match Up,” written by one of the residents who was a playwright, and directed by another resident, a former theater director. The storyline was about online dating and first-time bar meetups.
The Arbor Terrace Teaneck team works hard to ensure that its residents and visitors feel part of a warm, inviting, friendly family and that they are “home” with loved ones.
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