Senior living communities have a variety of ways of keeping communication lines open and informative for everyone. Retirement and nursing homes employ everything from newsletters to internal TV channels to keep residents informed and in-the-know. No one lives in isolation in these settings, and fostering a strong sense of connection is important to both staff and residents.
“Lunatics lounge” writer Taylor Terrance shares her experience of community bonding and engagement through the literary arts at The Highlands of Pittsford. And it’s all about love of the written word.
The crisp echo of smacking papers hangs in the air when I get the go-ahead: “You’re publishable, kid. I didn’t change a word!” I was in the home office of Seymour Weismann, meeting about a magazine submission. He was so thrilled with my story that he slapped papers on the table as he spoke, an emphatic gesture that pulled me into his enthusiasm. He went over details and then sent me off—as he always did—with an affirmation: “Be the best, kid!” I left his office and floated on a cloud for the rest of the day.
Weismann helped run The Highlands Review, an in-house magazine produced at The Highlands at Pittsford senior independent living facility. Sprawling over fifty-two-acres in an idyllic Pittsford setting, the campus has cottages, independent apartments, assisted living, and memory care—capacity for all the stages of aging. An affiliation with the University of Rochester allows for top-notch medical care as well as educational and cultural opportunities.
The Highlands Review is one such cultural pursuit; the magazine is run and edited by the residents. In 2016, after a nine-year hiatus, a new team had plans to bring it back. I was a housekeeper at the time, and word got out that I was a writer. Weismann, a former producer for network news, was part of a team eager to include staff members. He told me I could write in any style I chose and encouraged me to submit a writer’s bio. I didn’t have any professional credits, but he insisted: “Come up with something. People need to know about you!” My piece was well received, and The Highlands Review marked my first foray into published work. It was somewhat of a surprise to me, as I rarely spoke about my writing back then. I’d just completed Second City Chicago’s comedy writing program, but after an unsuccessful job search came home to regroup. I quickly landed at The Highlands with no further writing plans until Weismann came calling.
In that same spirit of generosity, I reached out to the current editors about featuring The Highlands Review in (585) magazine. I recently sat with residents Laurie Ford, Jeffrey Ford, Annette Satloff, Betty Iwan, and Shirley Eberly for a fabulous dinner in The Highland’s bistro café. We had a lively discussion about the magazine’s history and the production process. We also visited the library where all past issues are available to browse.
The Highlands opened its doors in 1995, and the magazine was founded that same year, with the first incarnation lasting until 2007. For its 2016 revival, Nancy MacWhinney was one of the first on board. She recalls the dinner that started it all: While sitting with residents Gil Jordan, Bill Barker, and Lorraine Loviglio, they discussed their new neighbors at The Highlands and the difficulty of keeping everyone straight. They brought up their favorite poems on the topic of forgetting names and then turned to the magazine. MacWhinney was a member of the Resident Council and thought she could help. “If Bill would suggest to the council that we create a magazine, I would try to get it approved,” she advised. “And it was.” Gil Jordan became the new editor, and Weismann assisted with finding pictures on the internet to complement the stories.
The Highlands Review is the only magazine of its kind among local senior communities—the residents take great pride in that distinction. Even more impressive: the current editors were not writers before retirement. Marti Eggers was a high school French teacher. Laurie Ford has a PhD in systems engineering and worked as a management consultant. Udo Fehn was a geology professor, and Betty Iwan was a computer software designer. These diverse backgrounds add another rich layer to the magazine, as residents quest to stay curious.
Issues are published in February, June, and October, with contributions from residents and staff. Original photography submissions run throughout the magazine and on the front and back covers. Writing can be any style, and while there are residents who submit regularly, the editors like to pull from many sources. “Often, we hear someone telling a great story at dinner, and we encourage them to submit to the magazine,” says Annette Satloff. If that resident is reluctant to write, one of the editors steps in to transcribe. Poetry is also welcome and has an added benefit, according to Jeffrey Ford. Ford, a professor emeritus of management at Ohio State University, formats the magazine. He says that a poem’s lesser word count makes them “perfect to tuck into some of the smaller spaces” during the production process.
The process takes a total of four months. The magazine never lacks for material, as Betty Iwan reports that “as soon as we publish an issue, we begin receiving submissions for the next one.” The deadline is one month before publication; then the team makes final selections. They do a “paste-up” of the issue, which is sent to The Highlands administration for approval. A PDF is sent to the printer, and, after a final review, it’s printed. Once the issue comes out, a celebration is held for all the contributors.
Celebrations abound, especially in the coming year; 2025 marks the thirtieth anniversary of The Highlands. A big event is slated for May—the month the doors opened back in 1995— and will celebrate the community that The Highlands has built. Those bonds are strengthened by the faces and experiences of each resident, with many of those experiences reflected on the pages of The Highlands Review. Annette Satloff describes the magazine as “nourishing,” a project that enriches both those who read it and those who help create it.
Helping with the creation of the magazine enriched my life and gave my writing the boost it needed. To see its continued success reinforced the things I loved about my time at The Highlands: the intelligent, engaged residents and their determination to keep evolving. Indeed, they’re a group always striving to “Be the Best.”
Strengthening connections in local senior living communities
Ferris Hills at West Lake: “Our assisted living community has a printed newsletter,” notes Anne Johnston of the Office of Corporate Communications at UR Medicine Thompson Health.
“Both that community and our independent living community have an internal TV channel (through a company called Touchtown), which basically functions as a newsletter, telling you about today’s meal specials, upcoming events, birthdays within the community, etc.
It was great early in the COVID-19 pandemic because it was a way to keep everyone connected and engaged—the channel was airing things like follow-along exercises residents could do in their apartments. There are also big screens in the common areas of the community (lobby, café, etc . . . that feature the internal TV channel. Then, of course fliers are posted on bulletin boards [and elsewhere] letting everyone know what’s coming up, whose birthday it is [and more].”
Maplewood Nursing & Rehabilitation: Maplewood embraces a “hospitality model similar to what you’d experience in an upscale hotel, fostering a strong sense of community throughout the facility,” says Greg Chambery, an administrator at Maplewood. “This approach ensures continuous communication with everyone in the Maplewood community—residents, family members, volunteers, and staff. We use various communication tools to keep everyone connected, including digital messaging on kiosks and TVs, email updates, and an internal staff intranet. To build a vibrant community, we also offer a wide range of recreational programs with daily events that bring everyone together.”
Maplewood’s TV messaging system displays videos and digital messages on in-house channels, available in every resident room and throughout the hallways, while digital kiosks are strategically placed in high-traffic areas. Both provide information on daily activities, exercise programs, dining specials, birthday greetings, and important announcements. To ensure that family members receive immediate updates, news is sent via email using a system that links directly to the contact information in the residents’ healthcare records. This system, initially implemented during COVID-19 for mandatory updates, remains invaluable for quickly reaching the right people.
Volunteers and staff play an integral role in the Maplewood community as well. Volunteers receive regular email updates, while staff communicate through the Maplewood Team Intranet, with additional messaging available in staff areas like the entryway and breakrooms.
Chambery adds, “All these efforts come together to strengthen the sense of belonging at Maplewood, uniting residents, their families, volunteers, and staff in a shared community experience.”
Jewish Home: Communication is a priority at Jewish Home, where activity directors create an array of opportunities that are detailed in calendars and newsletters that are emailed and printed for residents and staff, posted on JewishHomeRoc.org, and displayed in buildings across the seventy-five-acre campus. The online versions enable family members to encourage their loved ones to participate. To bridge generational communication, Jewish Home created a TekHub where IT staff members personally help residents navigate the digital world. At the center of connectivity, of course, is in-person communication. A colorful example at Jewish Home is The Summit Knitters—a group of ladies who handcraft hats and scarves for donation to The Center for Youth. Strong friendships have formed through this shared activity.
This article originally appeared in the March/April 2025 issue of (585).
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