EP #11: Wellness Without Borders: Embracing Cultural Traditions in Community Senior Programs

Embark on a cultural adventure with us, Kristi Gurule, as we unveil the "Wellness Without Borders" series, a vibrant fusion of multicultural wellness experiences for seniors. This isn't your run-of-the-mill Parks and Rec activity. No, friends, we're crafting a celebration of the body, mind, and spirit with a global twist – all part of an innovative collaboration with the local Parks and Recreation Center. In this episode, I take you through the creative journey behind this unique initiative, highlighting the challenge of weaving diverse cultural traditions into a cohesive wellness program that stands out from the usual senior activities fare.

As we chat with special guests, we lift the curtain on how "Wellness Without Borders" promises to engage and enrich the lives of our community elders in ways they've never experienced. You won't find us calling bingo numbers here; instead, we're inviting our listeners to a bi-weekly extravaganza that showcases different cultural traditions, aiming to enhance overall wellbeing. Tune in for a behind-the-scenes look at how we're breaking the mold and adding a dash of vibrancy to senior living, and why this series is the new highlight of the Plantation Parks and Rec calendar. Join us for a journey where wellness knows no boundaries, and every Thursday becomes an opportunity to celebrate the rich tapestry of our world.

Please visit our website for more information: https://www.comfortkeepers.com/offices/florida/davie/

Transcript

Kristi Gurule: 0:02

Welcome to the Comfort Keepers Davie podcast, where we elevate the human spirit. Here's your host, Christy Groulet. Really fun new thing though in plantation. Now, I know that's not Cooper City, but we are doing a brand new thing. We've never done it before.

Jeremy Wolf: 0:19

What are you doing, Christy? Tell me what's going on in plantation, Christy tell me what's going on in San Diego.

Kristi Gurule: 0:27

So we're doing this partnership with the Parks and Rec Center, which is fantastic, and I approached them with what haven't you seen? Every Parks and Rec for seniors has the bingo, the yoga, the gentle, aerobics, you know, like the standard things that we're used to seeing.

Jeremy Wolf: 0:40

I know all about that. I know, Okay great.

Kristi Gurule: 0:43

So then I'm like like, what don't you have? What is something that you've never seen done? So I was given the honestly, the challenge. We want to do something that brings in different cultures, different cultures, what can you come in and share with us that is tied to the melting pot that we live in, right? And I thought exactly Okay, well, where can I go with this? So I developed a mini series that's called Wellness Without Borders Wellness Without Borders.

Kristi Gurule: 1:26

This is tying in how comfort keepers, how we embrace the different cultures throughout the entire world, and that we have different practices you and I. Jeremy every day that we don't realize actually has roots in a different culture, right? So I felt like this was a great opportunity to talk about what it is that we do. And then, over a course of eight weeks, we're going to be meeting every Thursday, every other Thursday, for two hours, and we're going to focus on a different cultural tradition, something that can be tied in to someone's life to better their body, their mind and their spirit. And that's what Comfort Keepers is all about, right. So really exciting, because it kicks off this Thursday Genius, genius.

Jeremy Wolf: 2:18

Christy, what a wonderful idea. So they came back up for a second. They came to you and did they come to you or you went to them?

Kristi Gurule: 2:30

No, no, I seek opportunities out.

Jeremy Wolf: 2:34

So you were looking for some other way to.

Kristi Gurule: 2:36

Yes, I want something different. I like outside of the box. We like something outside of the box. I know what we do in everyone's homes, I know that, but how can I get in front of more people who are in their homes, aren't watching me on TV or listening to a podcast, truly, but where can I go that they're already enjoying an activity that they love? Parks and rec centers.

Kristi Gurule: 3:01

This is a beautiful place in plantation and when we came it, I mean, it was just so vibrant, full of activities, and we're talking about activities that I want to sign up for, like, yes, I would love to do a cruise to miami for 25. Sure, let's do that. That's the kind of things that are happening here, and so when I'm looking at what their routine, what the schedule is, that's printed and online, it's gorgeous I thought we can't just come in and do a fun game, because those are fun, right, don't get me wrong. I can call bingo like nobody's business. I love bingo, but what can I do? That's different. I'm not going to lead people in yoga Okay, that could be funny.

Jeremy Wolf: 3:46

So wait, hold on. You got the idea to look into parks and recreation and then from that you started thinking about it and you came up with this idea of wellness without borders to kind of materialize naturally from there. I asked that was a challenge.

Kristi Gurule: 3:59

No, I've never done this, never done this in any of my other locations ever. It's not something that was already created. I approached it as what is missing from your program. What would the seniors of your program like to see? I can't take people on a cruise, they're already going. You're doing karaoke nights. I mean just such a fun, vibrant curriculum already. So what's missing that I can do, and that was the challenge. I love it. I love it. So can you do? Is can do, and that was the challenge.

Jeremy Wolf: 4:25

I love it. I love it, so can you do, is it just? It's going to be a two hour long discussion, educational, can people let's say you're doing Italian culture, whatever it is right, can some? Can people bring in? Can people bring in food to sample and share that kind of thing? Because I love food, that's what I'm so excited about.

Kristi Gurule: 4:40

I know every single session we have something tangible, right. So we'll start off with um, our nurse. She is going to be doing vitals for people, um, but I'm going to have either a tasting element or something that they get to experience of that culture. Okay, so when we start talking about japanese culture, we're going to talk about zen, mindfulness and yoga. I have something someone coming in. Exactly, we all need that in our life, right?

Jeremy Wolf: 5:05

Oh man, I need it, I love it Just take it in right, let the darkness melt away.

Kristi Gurule: 5:11

I have a professional, though, coming in not me to show them how we can incorporate different cultural elements from that specific culture, those practices, in their daily life, and again, just building onto what they're already doing, because these people are already at the parks and rec, they're not at home, unable to leave. So just a different avenue, and I'm really excited because we're really I mean, I learned a lot just creating, because I thought, oh my gosh, this is a huge project. It can't just be like one week we're going to talk about Mediterranean and then we're going to go into Japanese living and then we're going to go I mean, we span the globe. But my whole hope is that the very, very last session that we have, I want it to be Everybody who's been coming routinely, because that's what I'm going to claim right now People are going to love it and they're going to come back every other Thursday At the very end. I want them to share their favorite cultural cuisine that everybody can share. So like a potluck.

Jeremy Wolf: 6:16

Love it. Sign me up. Do I have to be a senior to go or no? Is it 65 and over?

Kristi Gurule: 6:22

Sign me up. Do I have to be a senior to go or no? Is it 65 and over?

Jeremy Wolf: 6:27

I don't know but I'm sure, as a supporter of Comfort Keepers, you could go. You could go, okay. So this is kind of like I love how you think outside the box. This is almost like a test pilot program for Comfort Keepers. Right, you do this implantation. You have an overwhelming success, very similar. You did the I think it was the first ever senior prom which went off really well. So you get to test all these concepts out and if they resonate and they do well, then you can replicate that model with different franchises with Comfort Keepers throughout the country, which is fantastic.

Kristi Gurule: 6:52

Just different yeah, different communities, right, so this particular program wouldn't necessarily work in some of my other locations, right? Not as much cultural diversity overall as what we find in Florida, which is wonderful. That's what makes it so exciting and also challenging, because I found, like going through this holy cow, there is a lot that I truly don't know. But something that I do know and something I love to do is I love, I love storytelling and I love sharing stories, right, you know that.

Jeremy Wolf: 7:26

Tell me, tell me a story. Christy, let's go.

Kristi Gurule: 7:29

Oh my gosh, about what I don't know. Well, I'm just saying, like I love when people pour into you and tell you a story of their childhood or something that they did growing up right, something that they did growing up right. I grew up on a farm. Okay, I didn't grow up anywhere exotic, but I grew up on a very hardworking live farm and I had chores that I love to tell my children about. I had chores before I got on the school bus every day.

Jeremy Wolf: 7:55

Let me hear some of these chores living on a farm. What do you got? Milk the cows?

Kristi Gurule: 8:01

Oh well, no mean, not quite. We didn't live. I didn't grow up on a dairy farm, but I did grow up on a veal farm. So I um, I'm a 10-year 4-h member, so I showed cows at the 4-h fair every single year you showed cows.

Kristi Gurule: 8:18

I showed cow. Think about a beauty pageant for cows. That's what I did with the cow. I would raise him from a bottle from our pastor, bring him in and I would show him as a calf that first year and bring him back the next year. It really all about that, like looking back. It's all about responsibility. That's what that instilled in me. But I had chores before school, including in me, but I had chores before school including.

Jeremy Wolf: 8:48

I would have to wash cows. I'd have to walk the cows laugh.

Kristi Gurule: 8:49

Please do walk the cows, huh. Yes, yes, they have to be able to be led on a halter okay if not, they lead you, and that's terrifying. You don't want that. That was a little girl. I'm like seven years old. Right right, this is not me. This is my childhood. Okay, so my children will never know. But my point is that there's a lot of learning in this. And then I was on a school bus for an hour Can you believe that? An hour before I actually got to school.

Kristi Gurule: 9:17

That's crazy, an hour it really is crazy to think about, but that's like. That's a simple story. But back to the culture. I mean people would be very interested in hearing all these 4-H stories and laugh and be like what you did that. Yes, I have scars to prove it. Yes, I'm sure to do that.

Jeremy Wolf: 9:37

So back to the cultural. How did that idea come to you? The cultural thing, was it something that you just? How did that materialize?

Kristi Gurule: 9:46

well, it's because I asked the question right. I like asking questions what's missing? What can I do to fill in the gap? And the proposition was we've never had anybody come in and discuss cultural traditions. I don't know how you can do that, but if you can, that would be something we would be interested in. And so then I just took culture and I thought how, how am I going to tie this in Not to I'm not an educator just to come in and teach on this, um, that specific culture and what they do. I wanted it and needed it to tie into what we do, and so really it was. It was a lot of self-reflecting on the values that we hold as a company, the things that we instill every single day and how, my goodness, it really does tie into so many cultures and traditions across the globe. So it was daunting, but then it got very exciting Created a.

Jeremy Wolf: 10:41

Sorry, how long has this been in the works for? Is this very recent, or have you been working on this now for a long period of time?

Kristi Gurule: 10:48

Well, yes, so I've probably been working on it for the last month to really get it sealed, because I knew that we were starting this thursday, today, today actually it is the first day today. Yes, yesterday wait a minute.

Jeremy Wolf: 11:00

Yes, so it's happening today, which is so exciting remind me again where, where, in plantation, where is that the park?

Kristi Gurule: 11:07

it's at the parks and rec center. Where is?

Jeremy Wolf: 11:10

that located.

Kristi Gurule: 11:12

The exact address. I can't remember that off the top of my head. I'm going to be honest. I'll find it, jeremy.

Jeremy Wolf: 11:16

I won't put you on the spot here I will find it.

Kristi Gurule: 11:17

Well, you did, and I don't know the exact address Parks and.

Jeremy Wolf: 11:19

Recreation and Recreation.

Kristi Gurule: 11:23

Yep.

Jeremy Wolf: 11:24

If I could spell, we Plantation, plantation. And why plantation? And why not Cooper City? Like, why don't you do this here for us? Come on. Don't leave me hanging here.

Kristi Gurule: 11:36

Well, there was a couple other ambitions there too. So in plantation I have employees that also live right there too, not that plantation and Cooper City are so far apart, they're definitely not Sure, but no, it makes sense to have staff members that live there in the community.

Jeremy Wolf: 11:51

Very, very close. Okay, so for those listening that want to get involved, the Plantation Parks and Recreation, the Central Park Multipurpose Building, is at 9151 Northwest 2nd Street in Plantation. The phone number there 954-452-2510, in case you want to speak to the lovely government employees over at parks and rec center and you know what they are lovely.

Kristi Gurule: 12:15

Everybody there locally has been so great, truly, and you can find us on facebook because we're gonna have pictures and videos today. Because I'm so sad that I can't be there, I'll be there at our next one, which is in a couple of weeks.

Jeremy Wolf: 12:29

And I will see you. We're going to get lunch finally.

Kristi Gurule: 12:32

Yes, yes we are.

Jeremy Wolf: 12:33

We're coming to town, can't wait.

Kristi Gurule: 12:35

Yeah, I'll be there. Hopefully the weather's good, so please order that up for me.

Jeremy Wolf: 12:42

Guaranteed.

Kristi Gurule: 12:43

Claim it now.

Jeremy Wolf: 12:44

Not a doubt in my mind it's going to be beautiful.

Kristi Gurule: 12:50

Perfect. I can't wait.

Jeremy Wolf: 12:52

You can hold me to that too.

Kristi Gurule: 12:53

I'm going to.

Jeremy Wolf: 12:54

If it's not, you get a full refund. On my lunch, I don't know on what.

Kristi Gurule: 13:03

I'm going to hold you to it.

Jeremy Wolf: 13:06

I would expect nothing less, nothing less, of course. Well, cool, I mean, that's good stuff. You're really I've said this before and I say it again, it's becoming a broken record. When we get together, you just exude a positive energy. You're just a positive life force doing great things for local communities through your mission at work and what you do. So really my hat's off to you, christy.

Kristi Gurule: 13:35

Thank you, jeremy, thank you. I want everyone to feel that, and truly, it's not just me, it's everybody that's on my team. We're all very, very high on life. This is really us every single time, not a show. We love what we do.

Jeremy Wolf: 13:50

It shows it really does All right. Well, everyone, thanks, as always, for tuning in. We'll catch everyone next time, take care. Thank you for listening to the Comfort Keepers Davey podcast. For more information, visit comfortkeeperscom, or call 954-947-7954.