From Alzheimer’s assist to strengthening range, fairness, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) initiatives, Brookdale and Arete Residing are altering the sport with regard to their social stewardship efforts.
Tigard, Oregon-based Arete Residing is dedicated to DEIB programming throughout the corporate, with 4 pillars for inclusion advocacy: Folks, schooling, expertise and schooling.
To align with these pillars, the corporate works to determine partnerships within the markets it serves, together with Satisfaction Northwest, the Alzheimer’s Affiliation and Gifted Needs, together with providing area people assist to additional promote inclusion.
“On a extra native stage, we’ve additionally emphasised celebrations of cultural observances of our neighborhood pillars,” Arete Space Finance Supervisor Kenny Dew advised Senior Housing Information. “We put collectively these fantastic purchasing kits so that every of our communities can simply purchase a show for his or her buildings to hitch in on the celebrations at every of every of the areas irrespective of the place they’re throughout the nation.”
Brookdale has continued its assist of the Alzheimer’s Affiliation Stroll to Finish nationwide group program since 2008, resulting in over $23 million in donations throughout that point. The corporate had its personal donation class created as a result of elevating over $2 million in a 12 months, in keeping with Sara Terry, senior vice chairman of resident and household engagement and expertise and Brookdale’s nationwide group coordinator for the Stroll to Finish Alzheimer’s.
In a letter of assist for Brookdale, the Alzheimer’s Affiliation wrote $1.9 million of the corporate’s whole donations got here from the final 18 months alone between the Stroll to Finish occasions on the neighborhood stage, neighborhood assist middle and a golf fundraiser it hosts in June.
“We’ve not solely supported the neighborhood stage, however from the neighborhood assist middle in Nashville,” Terry mentioned. “We’re all aligned that that is actually our purposeful trigger, to be a part of that Stroll to Finish that contributes enormously to the general trigger.”
Each firms have been acknowledged for his or her efforts as a part of the inaugural Prism Awards by Senior Housing Information, alongside Live performance Well being, Permobil and Waveny LifeCare Community, Inc.
Arete’s social stewardship efforts
Collaborating in cultural celebrations is a cornerstone of Arete’s social stewardship efforts.
Arete has in 2025 hosted companywide celebrations for Black Historical past Month, Ladies’s Historical past Month, Arab American Heritage Month and Range Month. Dew famous doing so is a “enjoyable technique to get visible and academic items in on the neighborhood stage,” and the efforts have been properly acquired from each residents and employees.
“It’s been a enjoyable technique to form of solid a highlight on all these unimaginable cultures and tales which might be on the market and supply studying alternatives alongside the way in which,” Dew mentioned.
The corporate is presently planning its involvement in Satisfaction Northwest at Portland Satisfaction in July. Final 12 months, the corporate greater than doubled its participation within the occasion and parade with 30 worker volunteers participating, resulting in “overwhelming assist from the area people.”
Arete’s DEIB group has used the primary a part of 2025 to workshop concepts and enhance the employment expertise for group members. To take action, the group is trying over its utility course of, interview course of, basic orientation and onboarding to emphasise that Arete is an organization that “prioritizes respect, belonging and celebration of range.”
Whereas the corporate’s DEIB council is predicated in its Oregon communities, the group is trying to make sure employees experiences can have the identical stage of impression at any one in all its 31 communities in different states. To take action, the group is seeking to accomplice with native organizations to assist present experiences and schooling.
In pursuing the Prism Award, Dew mentioned it was a litmus take a look at to see if there are further issues the corporate may be doing to assist its communities.
“It’s an infinite honor,” Dew mentioned. “It’s one factor to give you initiatives and hope that individuals are going to get pleasure from them, however seeing that recognition for the work that our group has completed has been actually rewarding, as a result of it actually helps validate that the work is resonating with folks.”
Brookdale walks the stroll
In 2024, over 300 Brookdale communities fashioned groups for the Stroll to Finish Alzheimer’s all year long, a lot of which partnered with native Alzheimer’s Affiliation chapters, alongside digital stroll alternatives to participate individually if wanted.
Alongside the strolling occasion, Brookdale hosts a “Golf to Finish Alzheimer’s” fundraising occasion, the place firm companions are invited to play golf and donate to the Stroll to Finish Alzheimer’s, which Terry mentioned tends to be a largely profitable occasion yearly.
The Brookdale Neighborhood Assist Heart in Nashville ranked as the highest performing group throughout the nation in 2024, bringing in over $623,000 and greater than doubling the quantity of the second ranked group.
The general reception for the Brentwood, Tennessee-based firm’s involvement within the nonprofit has been “overwhelmingly optimistic” from associates, residents and relations, in keeping with Terry.
“Our enterprise companions all perceive the impression that Alzheimer’s and associated dementias are having on the inhabitants all over the world. It’s a really passionate trigger,” she mentioned.
This isn’t the one involvement Brookdale has with the Alzheimer’s Affiliation both, as additionally it is concerned within the Alzheimer’s Impression Motion and an energetic participant within the Dementia Care Supplier Roundtable.
Whereas planning for the walks are underway, groups have a tendency to actually become involved between August by November. Trying forward, Terry is making ready to move off the nationwide group coordinator mantle to Jill Ladaa, Brookdale’s new Alzheimer’s dementia care gerontologist, and the corporate is in search of persevering with volunteer alternatives on the native stage. Associates and residents are inspired to volunteer for teams and causes they’re enthusiastic about as properly.
“There’s a reciprocal relationship, and we assist it from Brookdale,” Terry mentioned. “It’s as much as them to actually make these connections. We’re all about making relationships and connections and serving to folks stay the life they wish to stay.”
