Celebrating National Senior Independence Month with Launch of Enhanced Wellness Experience at Porter Hills Village
At Brio Living Services, our vision is a world in which all are empowered to age well. That includes living with as much independence, vibrancy, and vigor as possible for all those we serve.
February is National Senior Independence Month, a time to celebrate ways that help older adults maintain an independent lifestyle and enhance quality of life, happiness, and wellbeing. It’s the perfect time, then, for Brio Living Services to launch its new branded health and wellness program, called Balanced Living, at Porter Hills Village, its flagship campus in Grand Rapids. This follows the success of Balanced Living programming that was piloted in 2024 at Brio’s Chelsea Retirement Community.
“At Brio we believe the field of aging services must grow beyond the traditional ‘activities calendar’ and embrace the desire of residents to experience meaningful engagement, holistic wellness, and lifelong learning,” said Brio’s Chief of Residential Services, Nicole Maag. “Balanced Living furthers our vision by creating environments and fostering opportunities for residents to grow, experience, and engage!”
The program’s mission statement is: Balanced Living bridges connections for a service model that elevates and creates holistic resident experiences. We foster a collaborative approach to plan our lifestyle offerings with our expert team invested in resident well-being. By breaking down the silos, Balanced Living cultivates life enriching programs and experiences!
Director of Lifestyle and Wellness at Porter Hills Village, Maegan Garlock, explained, “At Porter Hills Village, our Balanced Living lifestyle is all about helping residents live life to the fullest by nurturing the Eight Dimensions of Wellness—Physical, Spiritual, Emotional, Vocational, Intellectual, Environmental, Social, and Financial. Studies show that if one dimension is neglected for too long, it can adversely affect a person’s health. Through Balanced Living, we aim to provide opportunities for our residents to explore all dimensions of wellness to contribute to their own quality of life. In doing so, we create meaningful opportunities for connection, purpose, and lifelong learning for the older adults we serve.”
Team members across Porter Hills Village work together to incorporate and celebrate each resident’s unique interests through a variety of engaging programs and events, according to Garlock. This includes Brio’s partnership with the National Institute for Fitness and Sport (NIFS), a leader in senior wellness. Brio employs NIFS fitness experts, including Tyler Forbes, Fitness Manager at Porter Hills Village, in many of its residential senior living communities. “This collaboration ensures residents can thrive across each level of care on our beautiful campus, including independent living, assisted living, memory support, and skilled nursing,” said Garlock.
“Balanced Living offers a cohesive approach to lifestyle programming by offering engaging programs and events, supporting lifelong learning, and enhancing wellness throughout our campus,” said Cheryl Van Bemden, Executive Director at Porter Hills Village. “Residents today are very active and engaged, and I am confident that Balanced Living will provide even more opportunities for them to thrive.”
Learn more about Balanced Living by Brio Living Services.