September 11th through the 17th this year is National Assisted Living Week, a week-long celebration meant to recognize the role of assisted living centers across the country. The National Center for Assisted Living, or NCAL, encourages living centers to put on community events to celebrate, which is what Majestic Pines Senior Living Community in Grand Rapids did with a food truck and car show on Wednesday.

Each year, the week has a running theme, with this year’s being “Joyful Moments.” The theme was chosen to create memories that will be meaningful and fulfilling to those involved.

“Joyful moments are what we try to do every day at Majestic Pines, not just for one week,” explained Lynn Wirtanen, Community Coordinator for Majestic Pines Senior Living Community, “We try to create these joyful moments for our residents who live here, if it’s in memory care, independent living or assisted, we want it to be a happy place, and a fun place.”

The last couple of years have been hard for health care workers, and assisted living facilities, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That’s why the large turn-out for the event was so impactful to see.

“This is probably the biggest event that we’ve had since March of 2020,” said Majestic Pines Senior Living Community Executive Director Nichole Houg, “It feels good to welcome the community back into our building.”

Whether you’re trying to create new memories, or just taking a drive down memory lane, spending time at a local assisted living center might be a good way to live out some joyful moments for National Assisted Living Week.

By — Justin Othoudt