Abbey Chase has been with Bridges by EPOCH at Westwood from almost the beginning. Before the community even opened to residents in August 2015, Abbey was busy at work helping to educate community members in Westwood, and surrounding towns, on what Bridges by EPOCH would offer to individuals living with memory impairment and their families.
As the community’s first concierge, she was also often the first face potential residents and their families saw before our community opened. Now, she continues to act as a concierge but her role has expanded to assisting Resident Engagement Director Sarah Turcotte with community programming.
As a programming assistant, Abbey leads a variety of activities and games, including presiding over her own yoga and meditation program for residents every other Saturday. At Bridges by EPOCH, encouraging resident engagement is a core mission and the Bridges team hosts daily activities to promote resident fulfillment and satisfaction. “I spend the day fully engaged with the residents so that they can be engaged too,” Abbey said.
In her new role, Abbey is learning the importance of flexibility and says she always has a “variety of back up plans” for each day’s activity. “It’s all about what the residents want to do,” she said. “If I can tell they want to be physically active I know I can set up something like bowling, but if everyone seems more down tempo, we can put a puzzle together.”
Sarah, our resident engagement director, describes Abbey as “open, patient and kind” and since opening, Abbey has quickly become a favorite among residents and their families.
Abbey is working on her degree in psychology at Curry College in Milton, Massachusetts, and said her ultimate goal is to complete a master’s degree in geriatric psychiatry and continue working with seniors. “I enjoy the wisdom and wit of the senior community,” Abbey said, calling herself a “bit of an old soul in a young body.”
Outside of work, Abbey has many interests and has even spent time in London studying literature, history and theatre in addition to attending Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts where she earned a certificate in Baking and Patisserie. To stay active, Abbey enjoys long-distance running, yoga and hula hooping, and she also enjoys watching live music and reading—“anything from sci-fi to poetry to classic novels,” she said.
Though families will see Abbey’s face less and less at the concierge desk, Sarah says they should know that she is now “bringing sunshine onto the household floors!”