At Deupree House, we try to hire only those individuals who have 3 basic traits: a comfortableness in who they are, respect for others, and a readiness to ask (and answer!) questions.
Yet, there is a great diversity of talents within our staff at Deupree House, and it is through pooling skills and working together with our residents that we have become such successful community. And that team work thanks in no small part to our Director of Community Relations— Gini Tarr.
Gini has been such a large part of what makes senior life at our community such a rewarding experience that you would think she has worked in the healthcare field her whole life. Yet, before Gini joined the Deupree House team, she had a successful career in sales.
But when her company relocated to Wisconsin, Gini went back to school for the next chapter in her career helping to make Deupree House a true community—a career she had been preparing for her whole life.
Gracious people create gracious senior living.
Soft-spoken Gini has always had an old soul. When she bought her first house in the historic Westwood neighborhood, she discovered that she had much in common with her older neighbors—she even adopted her neighbor as surrogate grandmother. Gini and her “Gram” both enjoyed a good laugh, spent time shopping together and even went on family outings.
And she brought this gracious spirit with her when she joined the staff here at Deupree.
Gini has helped make Deupree House a true community. The relationships with residents and staff are what prove that. The staff here at Deupree tend to “adopt” our residents as another part of our families— just as Gini did with her neighbor “Gram.”
And, for Gini and the rest of us here at Deupree, it’s those relationships that are most important. We want to make sure that everyone has someone deeply connected to them for both the good and bad days. The staff goes out of their way to be supportive… bring them flowers, ask for advice and invite them on outings.
“[I love it] when I see residents laughing and having a good time. We really try hard to make people happy here,” says Gini.
Gini even uses her free time to get to know more about the older adults who have made Deupree their home and ensure that they feel comfortable—strike up a conversation and introduce them to the community.
So, should you join the Deupree community? Definitely.
But do your research first.
Find out what senior life is like in the community. Come for visits and meals to get to know the people who would become your friends and neighbors.
Gracious senior living reaches a peak at Deupree—residents keep life active with concerts, cocktail hours, speakers, picnics, fitness programs, volunteer committees, outings, and more— but transitioning into retirement communities can still be a difficult.
Gini advises seniors to make the change from current home to community home and do it while you are feeling well. “It is a hard concept to grasp but the transition will be so much easier if they are active and participating. I would encourage people to move sooner than later.”
Oh, and if you do join our community Gini says, “Be ready for hugs. People here hug each other frequently.”
