Monthly Archives: December 2015

News

How A Resident Service Coordinator Helps Seniors Age in Place

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“Our Resident Service Coordinators (RSC) help seniors age in place safely and with dignity,” says Susan MacNeil Quality Assurance Consultant and Program Manager at Crowninshield Management Corp. MacNeil has worked at Crowninshield  for over a decade and sees the myriad benefits having RSCs on property has for residents ages 62 and older. The oldest resident onsite is 107 years old and enjoying living independently with help from the resources coordinated through her RSC.

Along with connecting residents with a network of services available in the greater community through federal and state entitlement programs, the RSC often helps residents gain access to a medley of other services and resources such as food assistance, transportation, personal care assistance, medical help and assistance navigating the health insurance and healthcare systems. “Residents have a buffet of choices available to them and can customize their own menu of preferences based on their own individual needs,” says MacNeil.

“Families get great peace of mind knowing that their parents are well cared for and tended at the properties managed by Crowninshield,” says MacNeil. “Since our team is onsite and develops relationships with the residents we are aware of daily behaviors and can detect key indicators when something is not right and alert family members or access assistance for those residents who do not have families,” says MacNeil.

The onsite concierge services also include education and wellness programs that provide socialization such as cooking demonstrations, stress reduction lectures, fitness programs, balance series and art classes. Ongoing training is a key element in the success of the RSC’s. Crowninshield provides all-day workshops on a quarterly basis for its RSCs where they learn about new programs available to residents, obtain educational information and get updated on trends.

“Our goal is to create healthy, vibrant and engaging communities where residents feel safe, happy and connected,” said MacNeil.

Condo Association

The Polka Dot Door Dilemma

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As a property management company with decades of experience, Crowninshield Management Corp. is an expert in assisting condominium complexes in creating harmonious communities. One of the challenges we sometimes see is helping residents who have recently sold their single family homes and moved into a condo understand that they are now part of a larger community.

While it may have been acceptable to paint black and white polka dots on the front door of their single family home to celebrate the family Dalmatian, it most likely will not meet the Association’s design standards. “A lot of people come from their own homes and need to now be sensitive that they are part of a larger community,’” says Bob O’Leary of Craftsmen Restoration. “They need to understand that being part of a condominium community they need to take the whole into consideration and things like color coordination are important,” notes O’Leary.

Some condominium communities have a design committee whose responsibility is to insure that projects meet specified architectural requirements. A goal of the committee may be to create design standards so the community retains a cohesive look. Residents who are thinking about making modifications to their units should send the plans to the design committee to make sure they are in compliance with the architectural standards.

It is important for Associations to educate residents about the design protocol in their community. Thanks to modern technology, there are many ways to deliver information through newsletters, blogs and e-mail. To quote Steve Jobs,”Design is a funny word. Some people think design means how it looks. But of course, if you dig deeper, it’s really how it works.” At Crowninshield, we believe condominium communities should look and work in harmony.