Arin Young spent years working closely with Heritage Village, placing and educating hospice patients.  She enjoyed working with the assisted living facility in Mesa so much, taking a job with Heritage Village seemed like a natural fit for Young when she decided to make a career change.

An Arizona native, Young joined Heritage Village in September as a community liaison, speaking to groups in the East Valley about the benefits and amenities the facility offers to families looking to care for loved ones.

“I wanted to help people find a place to live and feel cared for,” Young said. “I wanted to be a stable figure in that building.”

Young, 40, has worked in the health care industry for 20 years. As a teenager, her aunt convinced her to become a certified nursing assistant. She later spent time as a medical device salesperson before moving on to become a hospice caretaker. In that role, Young educated families and patients about the benefits of hospice, their disease process, and on the resources available through the state.

When she needed a new challenge, Heritage Village offered the perfect place to work with families and provide a safe and active environment for people who can no longer live independently.

“I get lots of satisfaction helping individuals at the community,” she said. “I’ve found that I really enjoy helping people. The reality of it is, moving into assisted living can be a real positive.”

Young, a married mother of two, offers a smile and a caring disposition to make residents comfortable at Heritage Village.

“I share with them the support and hands-on care,” she said. “Residents have a place they can call home and have a happy quality of life.”

Young knows moving a family member into an assisted living facility can create anxiety for both the family and the resident.

“It’s important for people to feel comfortable,” she explained. “I try to make it as comfortable as possible knowing there may still be some fears for the resident moving in.”

Young has seen Heritage Village continue to improve what it offers residents in the six months since she joined the staff. As she sees it, an assisted living facility can be judged on many things, but families should tour a home and see how staff interacts with its residents.

“How does the staff treat the residents?” Young said. “What does it smell like? How does it look? Do they call the residents by name?”

Young points out that Heritage Village offers much more than a place to lay one’s head. The facility offers activities, games, friendship, top-notch care, and a sense of community.

“Families feel more supportive and at ease once they see the community their loved one is coming to,” she said. “They are not going to just sit in a room. They are going to feel loved and supported.”