He’s an old soul with more than his own fair share of empathy and compassion. Elijah Heyboer of Lombard is the administrator at Briarwood Healthcare Center at GreenFields of Geneva senior living community.
The resident of Lombard has been in senior living since he was 17, working in dining services and then as the concierge at an area community. While attending Trinity Christian College, he secured an internship and then a permanent position in human resources within the senior living community. “I did that for three years and then transitioned into the administrator role,” he said.
Earlier this year, deciding he was ready to grow professionally, Elijah looked into the open administrator position at GreenFields. “This is an identical role to what I had, but on a slightly larger scale. I wanted to step up in an organization where I could grow,” he said. GreenFields has an excellent reputation, and the fact that Lifespace Communities, Inc. recently acquired the senior living community was a bonus to him. Lifespace Communities has served older adults for over 45 years, now operating 18 continuing-care retirement communities in seven states. “Lifespace Communities is known for high-quality care; they’re well known and very well respected,” Elijah said. Furthermore, they reflect his values.
Lifespace Communities is a non-profit organization which, he said, is imperative to him. “Money goes back into the senior living community, enhancing the lifestyle and care of the residents. That permits us to focus on quality. It’s a missional value of providing the best for seniors,” Elijah said.
From the time he worked as a server as a teen, Elijah said he was hooked on working with seniors. “I loved it then, and it grew as my passion. I knew it was something I wanted to do. I love the residents, and I love visiting with them and helping them. I have fallen in love with this organization and am thankful I have meaningful work. That’s very important to me,” he said.
“I’m looking forward to really making dynamic changes in enhancing the quality of life and enriching activities in assisted living, memory care and skilled care,” he said. “We’re providing all the help the residents need to be able to do the things they want. Living here, they don’t have to do the day-to-day minutia. They can use the energy they used to expend on that and direct it towards the things they enjoy.”
