Meet Patrick
Executive Director
The executive director, along with our friendly and professional staff, strives to create positive, stimulating ways for residents to continue living life with meaning and purpose. We are a friendly family where we treat residents like real people with real life stories.
Our community is a great story that includes heartwarming chapters and incredibly unique characters all in a wonderful setting. Here is the executive director’s story:
In what ways do your residents inspire you?
My residents inspire me with their humor and their optimism. I love to laugh and I have some residents that have a really good sense of humor. They inspire me by letting me know that just because you have gotten older it doesn’t mean you have given up.
How do you honor your residents at your community?
We celebrate the lives of our residents in many different ways. As part of our weekly History 101 class we have our residents tell their life stories in conjunction with our topic of the week. Every month we honor their birthdays and individually celebrate a resident of the month. We honor one special resident every year with a Resident of the Year award that we display prominently in the community. But most importantly, we respect our residents by listening to them every day.
Tell us about a resident with a remarkable life story?
Our community has an unusually large male population and many of them are World War II veterans. One resident in particular, Joe, was a navigator on a B-17 during the war. He had flown 25 missions, which at the time, qualified a soldier to go home. He had a best friend that was a navigator on another plane and he was going to wait for him to fly his final mission before returning home, but his friend was shot down and killed on that last mission. Joe reenlisted for another tour of duty and as a result of his efforts was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Presidential Unit Citation.
Tell us about a resident whose life changed for the better once they moved to your community.
I will never forget meeting with Miss Rita’s family before she moved into our community. They were doing their best to prepare us for this woman who was a shut-in and almost a hermit. They warned us she was anti-social and would probably never leave her apartment. A year later, Miss Rita was leading the ladies’ croquet class and enjoying waltzing with our resident dance instructor during happy hour. She plays pool with the "pool sharks" three times a week, goes to Tai Chi every week and is usually the first one signed up for any trip that we take. We made every effort to get her involved in our resident programs and she had a spark in her eye and a spring in her step in no time. To see someone blossom like this after moving to our community is what makes it worth getting up and coming to work every day.
How long have you worked in the retirement industry?
I have worked in the retirement industry since March 2000.
What do you like best about your job?
I enjoy working with a team that has a common goal of helping seniors find a fun, secure and life-enriching environment.
What do you like to do in your free time and why?
I am a traveler. Any time that I can just get in the car and drive, I do. I have a goal to see all 50 states and so far I’ve been to 46 of them. I enjoy seeing new places and meeting people from all over because it gives me an opportunity to see that we are all more alike than we are different.
What’s your favorite movie and why?
My favorite movie of all time would have to be "Breakfast at Tiffany’s." The radiant Audrey Hepburn and the dashing George Peppard find that even two people who don’t believe in love can fall in love.
What’s your favorite dish or dessert and why?
My favorite dessert is carrot cake. From the rich cream cheese icing to the sweet raisins inside, it is one of my true comfort foods.
In what ways do your employees inspire you?
Dedication. My team is so dedicated to making the lives of our residents richer and fuller. I can always count on them when I need them.
How do you create a family-like atmosphere at your community?
We take an interest in each other and are supportive. I truly believe that fostering a team spirit and environment has made us a close-knit bunch. I have many employees who have been here in our community for well over 10 years and some even over 30 years. This is their home, just like it is for the residents.
Tell us about an employee who embodies one of our core values – integrity, respect, responsibility, professionalism or teamwork.
I have worked with many different people over the past nine years and I have to say that my food service director embodies ALL of our core values. He is honest, hard-working and never says "No, that can’t be done." Every resident loves him and he has a smile on his face each and every day. He is not afraid to get in there and get his hands dirty just like the rest of his employees, and his spirit for teamwork with the resident programs and marketing department keeps us ALL smiling.
At The Parkview, we understand that deciding where to live is a big decision that deserves careful thought. We invite you to visit us, stop by for lunch or be a guest at one of our special events or classes. We look forward to meeting you.