International columnist Jack York writes how Renee Pruzansky is combining business sense and sensitivity in her senior living homes

 
When we think of innovation, technology often comes to mind. We think of our iPhones and Skype, medical advances, multiple ways to stay connected and engaged in work and life. This story is about another kind of innovation, viewed through the senior living lens, innovation that bridges improved healthcare with cultural diversity. It’s a fun story to tell as it connects India with the United States on a very personal level.

This story of innovation starts with a person, as innovation often does. Renee Pruzansky is one of those rare people who can be an astute businessperson while maintaining a caring heart at the same time. The business side of her saw an opportunity to differentiate her company AristaCare; the caring side of her saw a chance to fill a cultural void that was causing pain for older adults of Indian descent in the state of New Jersey.

AristaCare started in 2004 with two senior living facilities in New Jersey; this number has grown to 14. It has a well-deserved reputation for always putting residents first, going to great lengths to ensure it is providing the highest quality of physical, mental and spiritual well-being to those it is privileged to serve. I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Renee for over 10 years and have seen the joy her communities exude.

So what’s the tie-in between Renee, AristaCare and India? It’s all about seeing a need and providing a solution! When AristaCare acquires a new facility, it looks at the local neighbourhood’s needs and tries to fill existing voids. Its community, Cedar Oaks, happened to be in an area with one of the largest Indian populations in New Jersey. What many organisations might have seen as a stumbling block AristaCare saw as an opportunity! The company started with physical construction, converting an entire existing floor. It found local experts well-versed in Indian culture and decorated the floor in authentic design and colours. Staying true to the culture was of utmost importance to Renee and her team.

Other floors in the community maintain their own look and feel. There are American and other denominations of patients on other floors of the facility. To encourage cultural harmony, the facility makes sure the other patients and residents are invited to special Indian religious events and parties, and even activities. The harmony has been evident from day one! Currently, Cedar Oaks serves over 100 Indian patients from across the US and India. While a majority are Gujarati, all Indian dialects are represented.

It was one thing to remodel construction to recreate a cultural feel, but there is much more work to be done than just colours and furniture. Renee was surprised to learn that in the Hindu tradition, there was reluctance to embrace a nursing home; families wanted to care for their parents at home. As Americanised children work and have their own kids, there was a strong need for skilled nursing and long-term care for older Indians. In order for this programme to work, AristaCare had to create an environment that embraced the religion and the culture. It even put in a fully separate kitchen with a staff of Indian chefs (authentic Indian grandmothers!), respecting the cultural dining habits of the community.

The venture has been a tremendous success. It surprised Renee and her team that for Indian religious holidays (in which they go all out to create authentic festivities), very respected leaders come in from India to join in and pay their respects to the principles at AristaCare. “It is very humbling how much appreciation is expressed,” she says. Over the years, they have received multiple honours from community and religious leaders and Renee has been invited to speak at many international events.

Her favourite story is one of a Gujarati who was referred from a neighbouring nursing home. The other community begged AristaCare to take him, saying he was extremely combative and behaviourally challenged. “From Day 1, he was a pleasure,” recounts Renee. “He cried to the staff the first day that the other nursing home didn’t understand his language. They would give him cold water in the morning, which is considered a sin; because of the language barrier, he was constantly frustrated. He was trying to ask a nurse which medications she was giving him but because she didn’t understand, she was forceful with him. He just wanted to communicate that he didn’t want to take the sleeping pill that night because he had napped. This patient was so transformed at AristaCare because all the staff speak his language. There’s Indian TV. Prayers. Temple. Physicians. Newspapers. Activities. Decor. Food. His family couldn’t believe how happy he was. He was thriving clinically as well. They were so appreciative that they donated two Indian idols to the temple at AristaCare.”

So there it is, true innovation at a local level. Innovation that is very complicated yet simple at the same time, keeping the human element at the forefront. The AristaCare staff took time to understand the objectives and the differences between their regular programmes and the Indian ones and established diplomacy in a racially sensitive way. “Because of the demand, we constantly expand the programme where we can at new acquisitions,” shares Renee.

Indeed, by doing its best to recreate Indian culture in nursing homes in the US, AristaCare is differentiating its business from other communities, and making lives better at the same time. Thanks, Renee, for making the world a little more compassionate; the icing on the cake is that it is helping your business as well. We haven’t seen any electric rickshaws yet; but we’ll be on the lookout!

York is co-founder of It’s Never 2 Late ® (iN2L), an American company dedicated to helping older adults realise the full benefits of today’s technology

Featured in Harmony — Celebrate Age Magazine
November 2017