On February 22, Rittenhouse Village At Portage hosted its networking breakfast. This included members from all surrounding services who work alongside Rittenhouse in the realm of senior living.
In this particular field, it is extremely important to work as a team to make sure everything goes as planned and is successful.
“Today is beneficial not so much for the company in general but for the people we serve. If we do not know each other, we can not help each other,” said Senior Lifestyle Counselor Danielle Balek.
Everyone who attended the networking breakfast makes a difference everyday for those they work with. Senior living and assistance requires teamwork to see success long-term. Events like this are almost essential for Rittenhouse Village and company.
“Most of the people coming here provide some type of service to seniors in some fashion, sometimes directly and sometimes indirectly,” said Balek.
Networking can not only benefit work life but personal life as well. It allows those involved the ability to get to know the people who work alongside them on a regular basis.
“It is very important for us to connect so we are able to provide our services. Most of the relationships I've made were through networking. That's the biggest way to do it. Being able to see people that you have not seen in a while and reconnecting is important,” said Balek.
Reconnecting with those from past networking events is special in its own right to some, and it may be the most important aspect of these events. Getting to know coworkers outside of work can make life and work much easier and allow those included to be successful.
“Our jobs are just 10% of who we are, maybe less. When we get to know each other as human beings, that's really what's the most important, and so I think that the human connection is what I value most. I am a people lover,” said Balek.
Networking can be new to a lot of people but has shown to be very beneficial for all parties.
“I am new to networking, but I feel like making the connections has been great because we are all in it together. We all help each other out, and our goal is to help our clients. It is about all of us coming together and working together – that's the biggest thing,” said Office Manager at FirstLight Home Care Ericka Hankins.
FirstLight Home Care is just one of many partners in attendance today who work with Rittenhouse. It takes a team effort from everyone, whether it's renovations or making day-to-day life better for the residents there.
“If Rittenhouse has a resident here who needs a little extra help, we do the one-on-ones. Sometimes, families just call us to sit with their family members because they are lonely,” said Hankins.
For more information on Rittenhouse Village At Portage, visit rittenhousevillages.com.