Prom may be a high school tradition, but The Fountains at RiverVue gave it an older and wiser update when it organized its own version of senior prom in June.
As The Fountains’ community life director, Reghan Giannelli made sure the event reflected the desires of the residents. There may not have been a theme, but there was no shortage of excitement at the Tuckahoe, NY, Watermark Retirement Community.
“I wanted to do a Roaring ’20s theme, but the residents were not really a fan of that,” Giannelli said. “They didn’t want a theme; they wanted to be able to just do whatever and dress how they wanted, and my job is all about pleasing them.”
With the event held at The Fairways at Dunwoodie event space, this was the second year in a row that The Fountains has put together a prom for its residents. There was dinner, dancing, the crowning of a prom king and queen, and even a live musical performance by the Cadillac Brothers. Having performed at previous events, the band was very familiar with the community and made sure the dance floor was always filled.
“Music is a huge part of both our assisted living and memory care. They live for music,” Giannelli said. The frontman of the Cadillac Brothers, she added, was a resident’s son.
“He was like ‘Hey, I play music; let me come and play for them.’ Huge hit. I was like, ‘Dude, I’ll pay you to come back,’” Giannelli said. “And this was five years ago, and they’ve been a hit ever since.”
Life in a senior living community can be a big life adjustment for many residents, so providing them with social opportunities like prom is imperative, Giannelli said. A simple conversation at the punchbowl could be the start of a long-lasting friendship.
“I always say it’s like going off to college. [Residents] are just thrown into a new setting,” Giannelli said. “It’s all new and [for] a lot of them, it’s hard to make friends. Going on these outings gives people the opportunity to meet each other. A common interest will bring people together.”
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