The Privilege of Being Part of a Family’s Journey
By David V. Pomeranz
RiverSpring Living President & CEO
Every day, families trust us with their most precious treasure – the people who raised them and helped shape their lives. That trust comes with a deep responsibility to show up not simply as a provider of care, but as an extension of family itself.
Over the years, I have come to believe that the greatest measure of our mission is not found in a brochure or a data point – it lives in the notes, emails, phone calls, and “thank you’s” I receive from families. They reach out during or after a family member’s stay at RiverSpring Living – or simply after a meaningful interaction with a nurse, social worker, aide, therapist, or volunteer. So often the words are the same: “Thank you for caring for our family like they are part of your family.”
Those expressions of gratitude are not about a single moment – they are about continuity. Families see that there is no script for compassion. It shows up in the small gestures: the aide who knows the exact way someone likes their tea, the nurse who makes them feel safe and well cared for, the activity staff member who always makes them smile. These actions cannot be mandated. They come from a culture of heart.
And that is the heart of our mission: to stand alongside families not only during times of need but through the full arc of care – through recovery, through transition, through joy, and hardship, through milestones and memories. When families tell us “We could not have gotten through this without you,” they are not talking about medicine or equipment. They are talking about presence.
One of those most humbling parts of my role as President & CEO is hearing these stories firsthand. A son will stop me in the lobby to tell me that a nurses aide held his mother’s hand all night when she was frightened. A daughter will email to say that, after months of resistance, her father finally felt like he belonged here – and she no longer carries the guilt of not being able to care for him alone. A granddaughter will send a handwritten note saying she now comes to visit with relief instead of fear, because she knows her grandmother is surrounded by people who truly know and respect her. And words of profound gratitude are often shared by families when I attend the wakes, funerals, and Shivas of residents who have passed away.
These are sacred moments that remind us that our work is not a profession – it is a calling.
What families experience with us is not accidental. It is the product of deeply rooted values. We are at our best when we provide what families provide: continuity, reassurance, and unwavering presence, and we remain a part of our resident’s story for as long as we are needed.
We care for people at some of the most vulnerable passages of their lives, and in doing so, we care for their families as well. What makes this work meaningful is not only what we give, but what we receive. Families welcome us in their trust. They allow us into their grief, into their hope, into their memories – into their lives. That is the greatest honor any organization can be given.
The longer I do this work, the more I know that senior care cannot be characterized as a profession. It is a ministry of humanity – a way of upholding dignity and connection at the stage of life where people need it most. It is why our staff carry such pride in what they do, and why I am so deeply humbled to lead an organization built on relationships, not transactions.
The gratitude families share with us is powerful, but it is also reciprocal. We are grateful for their trust, for their partnership, and for allowing us into their most tender and meaningful moments. It is a privilege, every single day, to stand not only as caregivers, but as companions on life’s journey.