Fourteen months had passed since Trudy moved out of Atria North Point, but when Community Sales Director Katharyn Bracewell picked up the phone and heard her voice, something didn’t sound right.

The two had been close in the time Trudy lived at North Point, and though she was chatting politely, Katharyn could tell something was off.

“She just sounded lonely,” Katharyn remembers. “There was a heaviness there, even if she wasn’t saying it out loud.”

That’s all Katharyn needed to hear.

An Unexpected Lunch Break

Later that day, on her lunch hour, Katharyn drove to Trudy’s new residence, tulips in hand – Trudy’s favorite flower. When she knocked, she heard a faint “Come in,” and stepped into a quiet apartment.

“I’ll never forget how her face lit up,” Katharyn says. “She had tears in her eyes. Happy tears, she said. But you could tell she’d been holding a lot in.”

Trudy shared what Katharyn had already suspected. Though her building was lovely, it didn’t feel quite like home. Her neighbors kept to themselves, and she missed the warmth of real connection with friends.

Katharyn didn’t hesitate. “I told her to grab her purse – we were going to lunch at North Point.”

A Celebrity Returns

Back at Atria North Point, Trudy was met with hugs, wide smiles and a steady chorus of residents eager to catch up.

“She looked like a celebrity,” Katharyn smiles. “People were so genuinely excited to see her. And she just lit up.”

As the afternoon went on, something shifted for Trudy. Surrounded by old friends, laughing over lunch, she realized what she’d been missing, and how much Atria had felt like home.

By the end of the visit, she asked Katharyn about what apartments were available that might meet her needs. She’ll be moving back in this summer.

More Than a Job

While preparations for her return are underway, Trudy has already come back for several lunches. Reconnecting with friends and staff, she’s already becoming part of the rhythm again. And all this is happening because Katharyn was there for her in exactly the way she needed.

“All I did was listen,” Katharyn says. “I just wanted to change her day. I wanted to make her day better.” For Katharyn, that’s what working at Atria is all about – helping people feel seen, valued and cared for.

“I get to help people connect with the life they want to live,” she says. “There’s not a better feeling in the world.”

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