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emphysema while others are diabetic or have
heart problems such as congestive heart failure,
Haworth said. They often are put into assisted
living because they are not eating well or need
help taking their medication. They receive
assistance with such things as bathing, getting
dressed and taking medicine. There are 24-hour
nurses on staff in the assisted living building.
One big difference between independent living
and assisted living is that those in independent
living often come by choice, of their own free
will, and they often want to give up the trouble of
having their own house, whereas those in assisted
living are often there because their families believe
it is best for them and it provides their families
with peace of mind, Haworth pointed out.
Woodside Terrace has the capacity to house
180 seniors in independent living and 88 seniors
in assisted living and is currently at 97 percent
capacity, according to Haworth.
Most residents at Woodside Terrace are in
their 80s, with the average age being 85. Many
residents are in their 90s and there are even some
who are 100 and older.
Enriching seniors’ lives
Woodside Terrace’s mission statement is:
“Enriching the lives of those we serve with
compassion, respect, excellence and integrity.” It
has been in Redwood City for 24 years and has
always been in its current location, according to
Haworth.
Operated by one of the largest
providers of senior housing
The community is operated by Brentwood, Tenn.–
based Brookdale Senior Living, a for-profit, publicly
traded company that is one of the biggest providers
of senior housing, according to Haworth. She
pointed out that Woodside has access to a lot of
resources because it is owned by Brookdale.
Innovative Senior Care program
Woodside implements Brookdale’s Innovative
Senior Care program, a proactive wellness and
therapy service that helps residents retain or
enhance their independence. ISC is designed
to improve certain physical conditions before
they can become problematic. By increasing
a resident’s strengths now, the impact of
future complications can be limited or avoided
entirely. ISC professionals are able to provide
rehabilitation care, education and wellness
programs, physical and occupational therapy, and
a host of support services. Each resident receives
a regular assessment and a “Personal Pathway to
Better Health.”
Optimum Life philosophy
Additionally, Woodside Terrace follows
Brookdale’s Optimum Life philosophy, which
emphasizes residents living well through six
dimensions. Those six dimensions involve making
sure their lives are purposeful and taking care
of their emotional, physical, social, spiritual and
intellectual needs.
A wealth of amenities,
activities for residents
There is a plethora of amenities and activities
for residents to enjoy at Woodside Terrace. The
community has a heated indoor pool in which
they can do water exercises. “A lot of them go to
the pool exercise class,” Haworth said. “That’s
socialization plus exercise.” There also is a whirlpool.
In January, Woodside Terrace began offering
residents the opportunity to participate in tai
chi after hearing from them it was something
they would like to do. There also are libraries
on campus with hardback and paperback books.
Other activities include bingo, crossword puzzles,
movies, chair yoga, Wii games, writers groups,
dance lessons and Spanish classes. Additionally,
residents can do volunteer work and use the
Internet, Haworth said, noting that Internet usage
among the elderly is higher than you would think.
“They email the grandkids,” she said.
Woodside has a large bus, a van and a town car
that can take residents off campus, so there are all kinds
of ways for them to get around, whether it’s to see
a movie, go shopping or eat at a local restaurant.
Food taken seriously
Food is taken very seriously at Woodside Terrace,
Haworth stressed. There is an executive chef on staff
and seniors receive healthy entrees as an option.
“The dining experience is important to seniors,”
Haworth said. “It’s something they do three times a
day.” Woodside Terrace takes a “fresh approach”
to food and uses very few canned goods, Haworth
said. There are separate dining areas for those in
independent living and those in assisted living.
Staff well-trained
The 120 people on staff at Woodside Terrace
receive extensive training that covers the community’s
and Brookdale’s mission and vision. They also
receive one to two weeks of on-the-job training,
depending on the department in which they are
working. The most important qualities for staff
are attitude and willingness to learn, Haworth
stressed, noting that it is more important than
the amount of experience someone has working
with seniors. “You can train them to work with
seniors,” she said. “You can’t train them to care.”
Seniors give $50,000 to hourly staff
At the end of every year, seniors at Woodside
Terrace pool money together and give it to the
hourly staff as a holiday bonus, Haworth said. At
the end of 2011, seniors gave a total of $50,000
to hourly staff and personally presented each of
them with checks. Each staff member received
an average of nearly $495, Haworth said. “There
were a lot of staff members in tears when they got
those checks,” Haworth said. “They felt like they
were being thanked.”
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“We hadn’t been expecting this.”
Added Lavoie, “It surprised the
both of us.”
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