Kara Webb, Director of Assisted Living at Silveridge, accepted the LeadingEdge Care & Services Award behalf of the Silveridge team and tenants at the recent Leading Age Iowa Conference.
This award strives to recognize a program that improves the quality of service and life for residents and utilizes creative problem solving. From a large statewide pool of nominees, this award is bestowed upon a member organization that has implemented a creative and innovative program to address new opportunities or serve a new function for tenants.
The newly implemented Pretti Green Couch initiative was created at Silveridge Assisted Living to provide mental health support and a safe environment for tenants to discuss their worries, fears or struggles. “With the rise of mental health in our society and with the growing need to create awareness of the ‘Make it Okay’ program, Kara sought an innovative approach.” stated Mindi Baker, CEO, in her nomination. “Kara continues to devote the time and energy to listen attentively to each member of the group.”
So what exactly is Pretti Green Couch?
Pretti stands for Pardoning, Responsibility, Empathy, Tolerance, Tactfulness and Inclusion.
Green is the color for mental health but also symbolizes harmony, hope, relaxation and revitalizing the mind and soul, balancing emotions to make us feel secure.
Couch, of course, is the safe comfortable spot we relate to recharge after a long day.
The Pretti Green Couch meets monthly, and has already increased tenant awareness, enabled support and encouragement for others, and even identified similarities among staff and tenants which further strengthened their bond. This program has helped tenants identify and solve issues they have been facing but perhaps previously were afraid to admit.
“It’s comforting to know that there are people who care in this organization that you can go and talk to,” explained Hilda, Silveridge Tenant and Pretti Green Couch attendee, “for someone to take time to do all these extra things for us here, well, people should know that.”
Awareness for mental health is growing, and the Pretti Green Couch is already making quality of life improvements and will continue to do so for years to come. Congratulations Silveridge Assisted Living and the Pretti Green Couch for implementing a program with vast creativity, vision, success!
