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For seven years, Charter Senior LIving has been able to live out our mission of enhancing the human spirit and our core values of serving with heart, purpose and courage while having fun.
This milestone creates the perfect opportunity for reflection – to see how far our long-tenured team, residents and their loved ones have come – and how we can continue to help everyone who enters a Charter Senior Living community live a full, connected life.
It also reminds us to embrace everything that makes Charter stand out from other senior living communities, like personalized care plans and a family-like environment where individuals feel the difference immediately.
And who better to share Charter’s history, achievements, progress and hopes for continued success in the future than Founder, President and CEO Keven J. Bennema? Read on to learn more about what enhancing the human spirit means to him and others connected to Charter today, and in the future.
Charter Senior Living is all about enhancing the human spirit. Where did you originally come up with this “slogan,” and how do you live this every day?
Enhancing the human spirit came to fruition during our senior team meeting in 2018. Our amazing team of leaders collaborated to create Charter’s new mission statement and core values guided by our Executive Life Coach, Glen Wagner. We live out the mission every day by serving Charter community residents, associates and families with a “welcome home” approach that focuses on heart, care, courage, trust and fun.
Over the last seven years, Charter Senior Living has changed countless lives of seniors and team members. Do you have a specific example that stands out in your mind of the importance of this career path and how to get more people onboard?
While we have been charting our voyage over the past seven years, many experiences and interactions with residents, families and staff have clearly lived out our mission! One of many examples is how Charter associates are always willing and wanting to help fellow team members who have gone through difficult circumstances of either personal or financial loss by donating to our “PTO With a Purpose” funding program. Unfortunately, unexpected tragedies have struck quite a few of our employees, and we do our best to be there for each other, just like staff helps residents get through their tough days.
You’ve worked your way up the career ladder within the industry. Charter Senior Living offers many career opportunities for advancement. Were these opportunities important for you to implement when you launched?
We love to help associates work their way up from frontline staff to leadership roles. I started as a caregiver in 1999 and learned to work every position in senior living for five years, including dining, maintenance, activities, business office and others. After graduating with my master’s in healthcare administration, I was able to become Executive Director in 1999. When my wife, Kim, and I founded Charter in 2016, we took many of the lessons we learned working our way up in the industry and implemented them here. Now, three of our children work for Charter!
The decision to move to a community can be hard for families to make. How do the team members and the overall community help make this transition for families easier?
Moving loved ones into a community is almost always a difficult situation. Emotionally, financially, physically and mentally. This is why we strive to get to know each senior and their families’ stories and listen to their concerns by visiting them at their home, rehab, or hospital to initiate a personal connection. We enjoy giving a creative gift, determining what level of care is required, finding out what hobbies they have, their likes and dislikes, favorite foods, interests. You name it – we want to discover it! What’s amusing is that family members learn things about their loved ones they never knew before!
Growth is a big part of any business, and Charter Senior Living has seen quite a bit of growth over the last five years specifically. How do you and the leadership team plan on continuing this growth and reaching out to future residents and families?
We are very conscious and strategic in our growth regionally, with great leadership in place to support future residents, families, associates, and the preferred partnerships we endeavor. No matter what, our mission and core values will remain the same, and those are what will guide us.
We love celebrating our successes with anyone who is or who will become part of the Charter Senior Living family. To request more information or schedule a tour of one of our communities, reach out to us today. We’ll be happy to answer any questions and personalize a care plan and experience for you or a loved one.
Whether to enroll in Part B or use FEHB as primary coverage is a personal decision, based on your individual circumstances. You should look at the costs and benefits of each insurance plan and make the choice thats best for you.Federal Employee Health Benefits (FEHB)Cover current and retired government employeesAdministered by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM)Can be:Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs): Have networks of providers that you usually must see. Out of network costs may be lower.Fee-for-service (FFS) plans: Allow you to see any medical provider, but you may have higher costs.When you become Medicare-eligible, you have a few options:Keep FEHB and turn down Medicare.Even if you have FEHB retiree coverage, it will continue to provide you with primary coverage if you dont enroll in Medicare. In this way, FEHB retiree coverage is different from most other retiree coverage.If you choose this option, consider turning down Medicare Part B but still enrolling in Part A. Part A is usually premium-free, meaning that you can have this additional coverage at no cost to you.Keep FEHB and enroll in Medicare.The two will work together to cover your health care costs, but you will owe premiums for both.Disenroll from FEHB and enroll in Medicare.You might not be able to enroll in FEHB again in the future if you change your mind.For a full list of questions to ask yourself when choosing the option that is best for you and more on identifying billing errors download this helpful handout by the Medicare Rights Center.Who to contact for more information: Contact your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) if you want to discuss your Medicare enrollment options with a Medicare counselor. Contact your Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) if you may have experienced Medicare fraud, errors, or abuse. In Southwest Florida it is 866-413-5337 or email shineinfo@aaaswfl.org. Contact the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) if youre a federal employee or retiree and want to learn more about FEHB. You can call 317-212-0454 or visit www.opm.gov/healthcare-insurance. Contact United States Postal Service (USPS) if you are a USPS employee, retiree, or eligible family member and need more information on PSHB. Current employees can visit www.liteblue.usps.gov and retirees can visit www.keepingposted.org.The Medicare Rights Center is the author of portions of the content in these materials but is not responsible for any content not authored by the Medicare Rights Center. This document was supported, in part, by grant numbers 90SATC0002 and 90MPRC0002 from the Administration for Community Living (ACL), Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C. 20201. Grantees undertaking projects under government sponsorship are encouraged to express freely their findings and conclusions. Points of view or opinions do not, therefore, necessarily represent official Administration for Community Living policy. [April 2024]
Established in 1963, Older Americans Month (OAM) is celebrated every May. Led by a federal agency, the Administration for Community Living (ACL), OAM is a time to recognize older Americans contributions, highlight aging trends, and reaffirm commitments to serving the older adults in our communities.This years theme, Powered by Connection, focuses on the profound impact that meaningful connections have on the well-being and health of older adults a relationship underscored by the U.S. Surgeon Generals Advisory on the Healing Effects of Social Connection and Community.Its not just about having someone to chat with, its about the transformative potential of community engagement in enhancing mental, physical, and emotional well-being. By recognizing and nurturing the role that connectedness plays, we can mitigate issues like loneliness, ultimately promoting healthy aging for more Americans.How can community groups, businesses, and organizations mark OAM?Spread the word about the mental, physical, and emotional health benefits of social connection through professional and personal networks.Encourage social media followers to share their thoughts and stories of connection using hashtag #PoweredByConnection to inspire and uplift.Promote opportunities to engage, like cultural activities, recreational programs, and interactive virtual events.Connect older adults with local services, such as counseling, that can help them overcome obstacles to meaningful relationships and access to support systems.Host connection-centric events or programs where older adults can serve as mentors to peers, younger adults, or youths.What can individuals do to connect?Invite more connection into your life by finding a new passion, joining a social club, taking a class, or trying new activities in your community.Stay engaged in your community by giving back through volunteering, working, teaching, or mentoring.Invest time with people to build new relationships and discover deeper connections with your family, friends, colleagues, or neighbors.For free local events and services, visit our event calendar. For more information, visit the official OAM website and follow ACL on X, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Join the conversation on social media using the hashtag #OlderAmericansMonth.
Many people assume that their family members would automatically be able to make decisions about medical treatments if they were to become incapacitated. However, rules vary greatly from state to state:Your family may have to go through a costly and time-consuming court process to get the legal right to make medical decisions for you.Your family members may disagree on who should make medical decisions on your behalf, which could lead to legal disputes.Someone unfamiliar with your preferences may be placed in charge of your treatment choices.Its important to have a plan ahead of time to avoid disagreements around treatment issues and to ensure your wishes are honored if you are incapacitated. Advance directives, living wills, health care proxies, and powers of attorney can help ensure that decisions made on your behalf meet your needs and preferences.Important documents to have include:Health care proxy Names someone you trust as your proxy, or your agent, to express your wishes and make health care decisions for you if youre unable to speak for yourself.Living will A written record of the type of medical care you would want in specified situations.Advance directive Often refers to a combination including both a living will and health care proxy documents.Power of attorney Names someone you trust as your agent to make property, financial, and other legal decisions on your behalf.For detailed tips on preparing these documents download the Preparing for Future Health Care Needs handout by the Medicare Rights Center. To understand how Medicare covers hospice and for answers to other Medicare coverage questions, contact your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP). You can visit www.shiphelp.org or call your local SHINE Medicare Counselors at 1-866-413-5337.
Charter Senior Living's Springwood Court in Fort Myers, Florida, offers exceptional assisted living services that enhance the human spirit. As part of Charter Senior Living, we are committed to providing a true sense of community and personalization to older adults with specific needs and wants.Our philosophy is simple: Do the right thing for residents, whatever it takes. We strive to improve the quality of life for residents and their families each day. We believe in cultivating warm, meaningful relationships among residents, staff, leadership, and families, creating a homelike neighborhood in Fort Myers that you wont find anywhere else.At Springwood Court, we specialize in assisted living, ensuring that every person who calls our community home lives their absolute best life, every single day. We offer a warm and welcoming atmosphere, an array of convenient services and amenities, exceptional programming, and a staff that treats every resident like family.Whether you're looking for yourself or a loved one, when you choose Charter Senior Living, you're choosing a community where you'll be welcomed with open arms, treated like family, and feel comfortable in a place where you'll find the best assisted living services.Contact us today to learn more about our community and schedule a tour. Visit us and experience the Charter Senior Living difference firsthand.