VITALIA Senior Residences at Stow Explores the Importance of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

As a company, Arrow Senior Living has made learning about and celebrating our unique differences a part of our company culture. So much so that, in recent years, it has become an extension of our core values. And for the past year, Arrow has expanded beyond yearly diversity, equity, and inclusion workshops to create Arrow’s D&I Speaker Series, which pairs special guest speakers with residents from our communities to have conversations on a wide range of topics such as mental health, PRIDE, Juneteenth, and so much more. We believe that sparking conversations on what some may believe to be sensitive topics helps to shed light on misconceptions and ultimately brings about understanding as it relates to the experiences of others. This ensures our employees and residents have the tools to build a safe place to live and work, one where a diverse group can come together and feel equally seen, heard, and included. 

At Vitalia Senior Residences at Stow, DEI goes beyond training and mentoring. It is a way of life. One of my favorite conversations thus far was Mental Health Awareness Conversation on Self-Care with Sandy McGatha and Richard Wikoff.

Understanding of the entirety of the D&I Speaker Series begins with the understanding and awareness of oneself. Communication, leadership, healing, and personal development are integral to self. If self-care is lacking, all of these are lacking as well. Extending understanding of Diversity and Inclusion, one must be aware of how your actions, thoughts, or emotions do or don’t align with your internal standards. From this place of self-care one can learn, grow, and benefit greatly from this series.

These conversations have only just begun, and I look forward to the conversations to come and all the new growth and opportunity that lies ahead as we work toward creating the greatest and safest place to work that we can!