It’s the little things we often take for granted, like shopping for a gift for friends or family.  A leisurely shopping excursion can be much more complicated when you live in a skilled nursing community.  Transportation, navigating narrow isles with a walker or wheelchair, reaching shelves or reading prices can often take the fun and even the feasibility out of shopping. It can be overwhelming and sometimes confusing. At the Suites at Someren Glen, shopping and gift giving are a pleasure once again for all the residents.

Thanks to generous gifts from donors, The Suites Shop, a mobile gift and coffee cart, is now available to the residents and team members at the Suites at Someren Glen.  The shop debuted on Valentine’s Day. Residents not only enjoy shopping but also spending time with neighbors and meeting new friends. Prices are reasonable, ranging from $1-$15. This mobile gift shop will be open twice a week, run by team members, volunteers and residents from Someren Glen’s residential living neighborhood. While shopping is the prime benefit, residents and care partners have the opportunity to commune and enjoy a cup of coffee. An additional benefit is residents have the ability to charge their purchases to their living account, just in case they do not have cash on hand. It’s a win-win: Older adults continue to enjoy the simple pleasure of shopping, and volunteers are able to feel a sense of joy while sharing time with their neighbors!  Someren Glen resident and volunteer Pat Giles enjoys working as the shop’s clerk.  “It’s about getting out and together enjoying coffee and making friends. I am getting to know more people in the community not just in my immediate neighborhood.  The gift shop is very helpful with practical things but also pretty items that are reasonably priced,” explains Pat.

This conduit for connection is one of the many ways that donations transform the services and programs offered in each community. It ties in directly with our vision of creating communities where aging is honored and celebrated. We are thankful for the many generous donors who have a passion for enriching older adult lives, and we are thrilled to connect that passion with impactful programs and projects. The new Suites Shop has already become the hangout hub, where all residents, no matter their ability, can go shopping for a new headband, or buy a flower for a loved one. What a joy to see the smiles on residents’ faces as they choose their favorite candy bar.

As one resident said: “I’m buying 2 chocolate bars, because you know, one is just never enough.”