Karen Lisy is the Activities Director at McGregor PACE and has been with us for 11 years. All her life experience in healthcare, volunteering, and receiving her activity certification led her to this role as Activities Director. Karen expresses that this role is not just a job to her, but it is her passion, and she feels fortunate to be in this position.
Karen loves the feeling of knowing she is making a difference in her participants, the seniors, lives. She makes new memories every day, just making people smile and feel good is a memorable part of her day, every day. “PACE is like no other, we allow people to age in place with our supportive services and that is really great.” PACE’s duty is to support seniors and enhance their quality of life, while allowing them to stay in their own home.
As the Activities Director, Karen and her staff organize activities that give the opportunity for seniors to socialize and participate. Seniors are also encouraged to program their own activities, such as holding a crotchet club. This gives each participant choices that will benefit their specific desire and level of independence. “Person centered care,” Karen indicates that the senior, and what they think, is of utmost importance. She knows it is essential to cater these activities to meet the needs of her participants.
Karen learns a lot from her participants and the lives they have led. She even says that while she has many mentors who are coworkers, she also sees her participants as her mentors. Karen enjoys hearing about the experiences the seniors have been through and uses it as an opportunity to learn and grow. “They are a window of our past and our present, you can use it as an opportunity to learn from them.”
The most important thing an individual working in senior living needs to do is get to know their residents or participants. Karen wants future McGregor and McGregor PACE employees to know to never give up. She indicates that once they know their residents on a more personal level, everything else becomes easier.
McGregor PACE has shaped Karen into who she is today, and she has made a big difference in the lives of her participants as well as the community.