Rock Hill Agape Assisted & Skilled Residents Enjoy Paws Together Ministry

"A dog is the only thing on earth that will love you more than you love yourself."~Josh Billings

Dogs are amazing creatures. They are loyal to a fault, always happy to see you, sensitive when there is something wrong, never tire of attention, will listen to your complaints, and will never judge you.

The Paws Together Dog Ministry in Rock Hill knows just how special dogs are and has been sharing its love and passion for animals with the residents of Agape Senior for the last two years.   The volunteers and their dogs visit both the skilled nursing facility and the assisted living facility once a month. The visits are always a huge hit with the residents.

The unconditional love that only a dog seems to be capable of giving is rewarded by lots of attention from the residents. The “fur therapy,” as the ministry volunteers like to call it, allows the resident to forget about their problems for a brief time and enjoy the love and companionship of the wonderful friendly dogs.

Grace Waddell, Volunteer and Outreach Director for Agape Senior and Agape Hospice, states,  “It is truly amazing what smiles and touching moments they bring to all they visit! “  The Paws Together Dog Ministry is a great example of how community partnerships can be used to improve the daily lives of the senior residents.

Joe B. Nester

Rock Hill South Carolina Assisted Living – Agape Senior Rock Hill

Agape Senior Assisted Living of Rock Hill provides senior-focused solutions. In working with seniors and their families, the dedicated staff works diligently to optimize quality of life by embracing individuality and preserving dignity –

Call us 803-207-8000

West Columbia Senior Solution Advisors Receive Specialized Internet Marketing Training

West Columbia based Agape Senior provided the front line marketers with specialized internet strategy training on Friday, October 8, 2010. The Senior Solution Advisors (SSAs) from across the state attended the training via webinar. West Columbia, Lexington, Harbison, Kathwood, Laurens, Garden City, Conway, and Rock Hill were the assisted living facilities that had representatives in the training.

Each facility within the Agape Senior network has a dedicated SSA assigned. The SSA is the one-stop informational resource for families and potential residents that have questions about assisted living. In addition to the assisted living SSA, hospice services, skilled nursing, physician services, and rehabilitation services have their own dedicated SSAs.

Agape Senior believes that it is important that all of its marketers understand that residents and family members today are seeking relevant information about care options online. Information should be easy to locate and customers should have access to an expert when necessary.

The focus for Agape Senior in the very near future will be to have an online senior resource center that will cover a variety of issues. Health, lifestyle, exercise, and diet will be just a few of the topics that will be discussed from a senior perspective. Experienced experts, from physicians to speech therapists, will provide real life content that will allow people to make informed choices about future care options.

Joe B. Nester

West Columbia South Carolina – Agape Senior

Agapé Senior’s mission is to provide integrated health services to meet the needs of senior adults in a faith-based atmosphere. The company’s philosophy is based upon its commitment to provide the best quality care possible for members of our senior adult community. We are committed to participating actively in and around the communities we serve. Ask Agape-1-800-411- 2427

West Columbia Agape Senior Residents Share the Gift of Music

The Melody Makers of West Columbia Agape Senior Assisted Living enjoy spreading the gift of music and nostalgia to their audiences throughout Columbia. The group, directed by Nancy Vosburgh and co-directed by Amy McCormack, with Patsy Pennington as pianist, also includes 22 Agape Senior residents. The singers have been together and performing since 2004.

In addition to singing for Agape Senior residents throughout the year, the group also performs each Christmas at the Columbia Metropolitan Airport’s Sounds of the Season. Incoming and departing travelers are treated to traditional Christmas carols as they pass through the airport to their final destinations.

On Sept, 3, 2010, the group performed for the Methodist Oaks Retirement Community in Orangeburg, SC. Amy McCormack, Co-Director stated that “the friendly residents and staff at Methodist Oaks treated our group like celebrities!” The performers were served a lovely lunch by the Methodist Oaks staff before performing for the residents at 2:00 P.M. The group performed some of its favorite songs from a 1950s program. There were over 100 residents in attendance to hear the performance.

One of the Melody Makers singers, Glenn King had a special reunion when he reconnected with a cousin in the audience that he hadn’t seen in decades. It was a successful and enjoyable event for both the Melody Makers and the residents of Methodist Oaks. Music has a way of making people feel good. Happy memories of days gone by are part of the magic.

Joe B. Nester

West Columbia South Carolina Assisted Living – Agape Senior West Columbia

Agape Senior Assisted Living of West Columbia provides senior-focused solutions. In working with seniors and their families, the dedicated staff works diligently to optimize quality of life by embracing individuality and preserving dignity – Call us 803-939-3000

West Columbia Agape Senior Volunteer Gains Perspective Helping Elderly

It is one of the most beautiful compensations of this life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself. —Ralph Waldo Emerson

The bright sunlight and deep blue skies belied the fact that the temperature was hovering around thirty eight degrees on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving in West Columbia, SC. The wind had been gusting all day and a bank of leaden grey clouds was now piling up on the horizon.

A small SUV turned off a main throughway and slowly made its way down a deserted side street. This was a poor section of West Columbia, and the small frame houses lining the street were in varying stages of disrepair. The car turned into a yard and passed through a small opening in a chain link fence that surrounded a white clapboard home.

In the yard an old pickup truck with four flat tires had been parked in the same spot for as long as Greg the driver of the SUV could remember. He drove past the truck and parked near the wooden front porch. He shut off the engine, reached into the back seat for one hot meal and two frozen meals that had been given to him at the Meals on Wheels distribution center. There would be no delivery for the next two days because of the holiday. The frozen meals were meant to supplement during that time.

Greg always made this home his last stop on the route. The elderly woman that lived in the home seemed to enjoy his weekly visits. The woman would always open the door just a crack until she could make out who he was. He could see her tense expression relax when she recognized it was him. He wondered if she lived in constant fear of who might try to enter her home. Several months earlier as she was watching TV, a bullet had been shot through her living room window and had lodged into the opposite wall just a few feet from where she was sitting.

Greg could tell by their conversations that everyday was a struggle for the woman. Her fixed income kept her so close to the edge of poverty that one crisis would easily send her over the edge. She told him she was nearly 80 years old. She could still move around without any assistance, and she liked to work in her yard when the weather permitted. Despite her financial hardships, she had a strong faith in God and a great attitude. She would tell Greg that she was thankful for everything she had.

For two years Greg, an employee of Agapé Senior would spend his lunch hour every Wednesday delivering the meals. He would tell her about his family and things he was involved with at work. She would talk about her son that lived somewhere in Columbia but rarely visited or about how difficult it had become to use public transportation. The city had recently cut bus service to a bare minimum. She was always concerned about her utility bills increasing. Every increase meant cutting expenses in another area.

 What Greg had not counted on was how his weekly visits and friendship with this simple graceful woman would impact him personally. Difficult times and problems in his own life had new perspective. His job with Agape Senior had originally inspired him to look outside of himself and become involved in his community. The actual experience proved to be as much of a benefit to him as the people he was serving.

Volunteering and community outreach is an important part of the mission of Agapé Senior. Each contribution of time or the sharing of a special talent has the power to make a difference in another person’s life. The recent employee blood drive for The American Red Cross or the Habitat for Humanity home build are just two examples of the spirit of volunteerism at work. There are also many opportunities for volunteers from the community to work with Agape. If you would like to find out how you can make a difference, call our Ask Agape line 1-800-411-Agape(2427)

Joe B. Nester

West Columbia South Carolina – Agape Senior

Agapé Senior’s mission is to provide integrated health services to meet the needs of senior adults in a faith-based atmosphere. The company’s philosophy is based upon its commitment to provide the best quality care possible for members of our senior adult community. We are committed to participating actively in and around the communities we serve. Ask Agape-1-800-411- 2427