Valley Senior Living premieres docuseries to support workforce recruitment

Pamela Knudson / Grand Forks Herald By Pamela Knudson Today at 5:11 PM Listen Comments Share Share this article News Reporting News Reporting Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The Trust Project What is this? GRAND FORKS – Valley Senior Living staff members and residents are featured in a docuseries created to change public perception of care facilities and encourage the younger generation to consider working in the field of long-term care. The docuseries, “People Worth Caring About,” was created in partnership with the North Dakota Long Term Care Association. The subtitle is “Real people. Real stories. A different look at long term care.” ADVERTISEMENT Valley Senior Living is one of seven long term facilities in the state selected for the project. The 22-minute segment that features Valley Senior Living was shown to residents for the first time Thursday. “It’s a great tool for orientation for new employees,” said Garth Rydland, president and CEO, because it illustrates the impact staff members have on residents. And it will help in recruiting young employees. The complete docuseries runs more than two hours. The segment featuring Valley Senior Living will be shared with donors and foundation members. Jenny Selnes, director of nursing, said the application to participate in the project included a question about what made the facility special. Valley Senior Living stood out, Selnes said, because of its music therapy program and the in-house Head Start program, where residents can interact with children. Those featured in the local segment include Lindsey Moffitt, music therapist; Marissa Kazmierczak, registered nurse in the Woodside Village care community; Rydland, and several residents. ADVERTISEMENT Moffitt, filmed with long-time resident Bette Sorlie, said she enjoys her work because “you get to know the residents,” which isn’t true in a hospital. “I’m a ‘lifer,’” she said of her connection to her work. Sorlie, better known as “Bette Boop,” said Valley Senior Living “has been a good place, and I love it.” In another room, Moffitt made a recording of a resident’s heartbeat “to a song she sang to her kids,” she said. The idea was to strengthen memory and relive happy times. Produced with Peter Murphy Lewis and the teams at Strategic Pete and Colomba Films, based in Wichita, Kan., the project was a “great opportunity to show the type of care we have at Valley and relationships,” Rydland said. “It’s a great way to promote long-term care in our state.” The project also “opens a window into long-term care” for students heading into college or people who are looking for a second or third career” in a field that is “rewarding,” he said. Sally Grosgebauer, the facility’s director of marketing, said, “What makes this especially meaningful to Valley Senior Living and the North Dakota Long Term Care Association is that it shows a side of long-term care that doesn’t always make the news.” The Valley Senior Living segment was filmed in May “with a focus on relationships that develop between residents and the people caring for them, the friendships and connections that form, and the purpose people find in this work,” Grosgebauer said. ADVERTISEMENT The project was “intended to change perceptions of long-term care and introduce a new generation to careers in the field by highlighting caregivers, nurses, therapists and others through character-driven storytelling. “The long-term care community is trying a different approach to telling its story, particularly at a time when recruiting the next generation of caregivers is so important," she said. Comments Share Share this article News Reporting News Reporting Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The Trust Project What is this? Tags Tags GRAND FORKS By Pamela Knudson Pamela Knudson is a features and arts/entertainment writer for the Grand Forks Herald. She has worked for the Herald since 2011 and has covered a wide variety of topics, including the latest performances in the region and health topics. Pamela can be reached at [email protected] or (701) 780-1107. 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