New GM glad to be part of the Edenhaven family
“I am truly blessed to be part of this family and look forward to making a difference in the lives of the residents who live here.”
With welcoming eyes and a joyful smile, Edenhaven Retirement Village’s newest GM, Janice Finlay, looks forward to the years ahead working at the village.
Originally from Hilton, KZN, Janice joined the Edenhaven family when she was offered the position pre-lockdown.
She said everything was in order and she was ready to start work and then the pandemic happened and put everything into a state of limbo.
The 59-year-old said once she got approval to travel to Edenvale, she had 48 hours to get to the retirement village.
“I packed some clothes, climbed into my blue Volkswagen Polo and drove up, crossing two provincial borders during the hard lockdown to get to Edenvale.”
She said when she arrived, the residents and staff welcomed her into the Edenhaven family with open arms.
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Although Janice has only been at the village for seven months, she said they have been memorable months.
With five years’ experience working with senior citizens and 35 years’ experience working as a GM, Janice is confident in her abilities to assist the village.
“I look forward to working with the staff, who all know their duties and responsibilities when it comes to caring for our residents,” said Janice.
She said she has complete confidence in the staff, who are compassionate, empathetic, caring and understand the needs of the elderly.
When Janice spoke to the NEWS on December 9, the village had not had any deaths as a result of Covid-19.
“We had positive Covid-19 cases and the same challenges that everyone faced, the financial and economic challenges, but we survived.”
Janice said because of the financial pressure felt by many residents, some were forced to move out of the village and back in with their families in an attempt to save funds.
“In all honesty, the love and donations from the community of Edenvale kept us going through this tough year.
“Businesses were forced to shut down but we survived. We were continually blessed and whenever we had an excess of donations, we donated to other charities like Little Eden Society or Child Welfare SA – Edenvale and Bedfordview.
“I am truly blessed to be part of this family and look forward to making a difference in the lives of the residents who live here.”
Janice said although she is almost 60, she hopes to work for at least a decade at the village, changing the lives of the residents.
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