September 13, 2022

Brookdale Lodi: Sound Baths, Baby Goats and Henna Tattoos

About Brookdale Senior Living

Brookdale Senior Living offers multiple care levels for seniors in more than 600 communities nationwide. Brookdale helps you find the right care plan for yourself or your loved one. With amenities such as transportation services, salons and private dining rooms and activities such as gardening, fitness classes and trivia nights Brookdale caters to a wide range of interests and needs.

Is there something you’ve always wanted to try but just never got around to it? A special resident programs coordinator at Brookdale Lodi is helping to make residents’ lists a little bit shorter. Anne Crutchfield has introduced her residents to a number of activities that you might not typically find in senior living communities. Residents have experienced a sound bath, learned about Instagram filters, taken a do-it-yourself charcuterie-making class, had their fortunes told with tarot cards, and participated in a two-day workshop on making your own paper. They even toured a local vineyard and put baby goats to sleep.

“I think my favorite activities are the ones that feel the most meaningful,” said Anne. “We have residents that still want to challenge themselves or push boundaries. Even if they are slightly apprehensive about trying something new, they usually are open if you present it in a way that is comfortable and inviting.”

Anne’s background in event planning helped bring her to senior living. Prior to coming to Brookdale, she owned an events company that focused primarily on art shows, fundraisers, festivals and other community events. Creating unique experiences for people is something that she has always loved to do.

“I had put on a drive-through car show at another senior living community and when I saw how happy it made them, I knew it was something I wanted to explore more,” said Anne. “This was a world I was completely unfamiliar with, so I think we (the residents and I) took a chance on each other in a way.”

To get ideas flowing, Anne likes to hold discussions with residents. During these chats, they discuss things they’ve done, places they’ve been, and things they’d like to do. During one of these sessions, one of the residents mentioned that she had always wanted to get a “19” tattoo in honor of her and her husband’s lucky number. Anne had worked with a henna artist before and thought it was a perfect opportunity to bring her in. Before long, they had a line of residents who wanted to get henna applied.

“That is what makes my job fun,” said Anne. “Seeing them open up their boundaries, even at 99.”

One of her favorite activities was bringing in a traditional barber to deliver a classic barbershop experience for residents and associates. She loved watching the men walk around the community, soaking in all of the compliments on how great they looked.

“Seeing the whole demeanor change for the men after they got their cuts and shaves was one of my favorite moments here,” said Anne.

“I love to see my residents expand their minds and what they think they are capable of doing, even if it’s just a tiny bit. We learn from each other every day.”