400 Grandparents | Feels Like Home

- [Colleen] Home is so much more than four walls or a bedroom. It's where you feel safe and cared for and where your family is, whatever that family may be. My name is Colleen and my daughter Lilian has 400 grandparents. Providence Mount St. Vincent is an assisted living and skilled nursing community in Seattle, Washington and it also has a daycare. Residents have a built-in family here at the Mount. They have the daycare where kids will visit them, and they can visit every single day. I work here at the Mount and having my daughter here at the daycare means the world to me. To see her interacting with the residents and to see the joy that she brings them and the joy that they bring her is more than I could ever ask for. Naomi is one of the regular visitors in the baby room. 50 years ago, the Mount helped her get into nursing school and so to repay them, she came and worked at the Mount. Naomi is an incredible person. Lilian will see her, she'll light up and she'll walk right over to her. Being around the babies gives Naomi a sense of purpose. It helps remind her of the life of service that she's had and helps her continue that in her 70s. I love taking Lilian out and watching the art class. Both of us get excited about the different activities that she's going to be able to do as she gets older. It's so sweet to watch too because you would think the residents are the older ones so they would help the kids, but the kids will help the resident write something, and they're able to help each other in a way that you wouldn't necessarily expect. Grandparents are important not only because of the unconditional love that they give us, but because they're able to pass down so much knowledge and traditions and life experiences to all the generations that come after them. I always saw the relationships between the kids and the residents and thought it was special and unique, but having my own daughter now here at the daycare has made me appreciate it so much more. She now has this larger family. Whether we're here at the Mount or at home, we're always surrounded by family.