Abbi La
ushine joined the team at Bridges® by EPOCH at Westford when we first opened in June 2013. She began as a CNA, but within three-and-a-half months became our Life Enrichment Director. She actually didn’t even apply for the position, we just saw how wonderfully she was able to engage with residents as a CNA, taking on the role in a way we hadn’t seen before.
Even before becoming Life Enrichment Director, Abbi would research different activities for residents for hours at home. It’s that dedication and a natural intuition and inventiveness that keeps our residents in high spirits around her.
“My job is definitely challenging, but I love everything about it,” Abbi said. “It motivates me to make every event and activity more engaging for the residents. I’m always trying to find ways to make everything a success.”
Under Abbi’s direction, residents participate in such programs as art and storytelling therapy, as well as volunteer activities, like baking and knitting for charity. Abbi also frequently collaborates with Nashoba Technical High School, including organizing visits from the students and collaborating on special events like “senior prom,” where students organize and hold a prom for Bridges® by EPOCH residents.
“It’s very important for me to engage the residents in meaningful activities,” Abbi said. “They don’t want or need to be constantly entertained; they want to feel like they are leading meaningful lives and making a difference, which is why we do a lot in the community.”
One activity Abbi has introduced is sewing and quilting using “Mitsy Kits,” which are sewing and quilting kits that enable the blind, elderly, memory impaired and others to enjoy hand sewing and quilting using their sense of touch in place of eyesight. Mitsy Kit Inc. was founded by Tammy Roussell, who initially developed the touch-based sewing and quilting process for her mom, Mitsy, a former seamstress, after she lost her sight due to Retinitis Pigmentosa.
“The residents love it,” Abbi said. “It’s a very relaxing activity that engages both their body and mind, and it allows them to be creative. There’s also a beautiful product for them to be proud of at the end, which adds to the purposeful and meaningful aspect of the activity. We’re currently in the process of trying to bring the Mitsy Kits to all the Bridges communities.”
If it wasn’t already obvious how wonderful Abbi is at her job, Argentum (formerly the Assisted Living Federation of America) recently awarded Abbi a 2016 Hero Award for her innovation and commitment to improving the lives of memory-impaired residents. One of six people in the United States to be honored, and the only honoree in Massachusetts, Abbi traveled to Denver for the award ceremony in May, where she took the stage to receive her award from Soledad O’Brien.
We’re so proud of Abbi, and we feel very lucky to have her as part of the Bridges® by EPOCH team. To learn more about Abbi, watch her Hero Award video.