96-year-old Glenn felt disconnected and lacked a meaningful purpose in his life. In fact, he spent much of his life feeling misunderstood. It’s no surprise, then, that Glenn carried a heavy weight on his shoulders when he moved to Terracina Grand, a community managed by The Goodman Group.

But that weight was soon lifted thanks to Spiritual Care Director Ria, who listened to Glenn express his pain.

As part of the Soaring® program, Ria worked one-on-one with Glenn and helped him discover what he really needed in life to feel fulfilled. “Glenn is the one resident that has made the biggest turn,” Ria says. Watch his story to learn more:

Overcoming Senior Loneliness

Glenn struggled with loneliness, an extremely common problem among seniors. “He said he lacked love and peace in his life,” Ria says.

Ria’s solution? Proactive friendliness. She and Glenn worked together on staying positive and getting to know everyone’s names. “She’s loosened me up so that I smile a little more now,” Glenn says

While practicing more outward friendliness helped Glenn meet new people and retain friendships, it was only the beginning of his spiritual growth.

Sharing Stories for Smiles

Ria assigned Glenn the spiritual assessment, a test taken in the first step of the Soaring program. This voluntary assessment helps Spiritual Care Directors better understand the test takers’ emotional and spiritual needs.

In Glenn’s case, the test showed that he finds purpose in giving and helping others. So, Ria took that and combined it with one of his inherent skills: his strong voice. Soon, he was reading stories to those in memory care.

“When he starts, everyone in the place stops and looks at him, and he loves it!” Ria says.

Glenn’s Spiritual Growth

Now that Glenn is helping others by reading stories and becoming more involved in the Terracina Grand community, he has a new lease on life.

“I say, ‘How are you?’” Ria says, “He says, ‘200% better!’”

“My life has been better, more interesting, doing more things, than my entire life before,” Glenn says. “I’m doing something for the people, which is pretty important when you’re this old.”