CHICAGO – For most, June 21 meant a little extra summer during the 12 hours of summer solstice daylight. For Senior Lifestyle, June 21 also meant 12 hours of dance as the company’s residents, families, team members and business partners joined in a 12-hour virtual dance marathon called The Longest Dance to raise support and awareness for the 50 million people battling Alzheimer’s.
The Longest Dance marked Senior Lifestyle’s third year joining the Alzheimer’s Association as a global partner during The Longest Day. Seniors at all communities across the country submitted videos of dances through different decades, inviting anyone to support finding a cure for Alzheimer’s by sending in their own video footage to join the marathon. Between their residents, team members, families and vendor partners, over 50 dance videos came in throughout the course of the day.
“For many of us, dancing can feel silly or undignified, especially when you don’t know the steps. For our seniors with dementia and Alzheimer’s, this is what each day can begin to feel like as they slowly forget some of the most basic steps to daily living,” said Cathleen O’Brien, Vice President of Resident Experience, said.
“Families and residents alike will tell you one of the most challenging aspects of memory loss is feeling that loss of dignity. That’s why this year, we challenged all of our residents, family members, team members, business partners, and friends to become a little undignified by joining the dance to help fight for the dignity of those battling Alzheimer’s disease,” O’Brien said.
O’Brien added that raising awareness through dance also reflects Senior Lifestyle’s signature dancing couple logo, and has created an opportunity to collaborate across the country in a bit of friendly dance competition between communities. The company’s ‘dancing through the decades’ theme has inspired not just Senior Lifestyle’s residents, but also its team members and vendors to join the dance as a way to fight for a cure for Alzheimer’s disease. The Chicago-based home office is no exception, with each corporate department also submitting a dance video to participate.
Though June 21 is past, there are still ways to join the efforts of The Longest Dance. To view the creativity and passion of Senior Lifestyle’s residents, viewers can visit Senior Lifestyle’s Facebook page to see a full playlist of all submitted videos. Anyone wishing to donate can also visit the company’s official The Longest Day partner page.
About Senior Lifestyle
Senior Lifestyle, founded in 1985, is a privately-held, owner-operator and developer of seniors housing communities. With a portfolio of more than 170 communities located throughout 27 states, Senior Lifestyle offers independent living, assisted living, memory care and skilled nursing for the luxury, moderate and affordable segments. Senior Lifestyle has been routinely recognized as a leader in the delivery of innovative programs and hospitality services for all levels of care. For more information, visit seniorlifestyle.com.