Why It’s a Privilege to Care for Seniors; Musings from Our Guest Services Coordinator

Senior care takes a special kind of warmth, and Ayala Levine excels at it. Whether it’s delivering drinks or food, showing patients around the facility, providing a road map for their care or answering basic questions, Ayala is dedicated to ensuring that everyone feels comfortable, supported and at home in their new home.  

Although Ayala only just joined the SKLD team in September as the Bloomfield Hills guest services coordinator, customer service is in her blood. As a young child in New York, she spent her days filling orders and catering to customers’ every need in her parents’ fabric store in the garment district. As an adult, she was literally catering, in her own business and as a catering coordinator for a local caterer. She brings that experience and passion for caring for others to her job at SKLD every day. 

Moving to a skilled nursing facility can be unsettling, at the very least, and Ayala seeks to ease that transition from the moment residents enter the facility. As the daughter to elderly parents, who were both Holocaust survivors, Ayala says she was comfortable with older adults for as long as she can remember. She has a way of making patients feel supported by simply holding a patient’s hand, answering their questions and seeking out opportunities for them. 

Ayala says it’s her honor and privilege to care for seniors at SKLD. “I have a tremendous amount of respect and awe, knowing what people in their 70s and above have been through. If it wasn’t WWII, it was the Depression. There is a level of grit that they all exude. It’s an honor and pleasure to know them and hear from them and be in their presence--to know these kind of people walk the earth. We have to be aware of who came before us.” 

The challenge for Ayala is trying to help as many people as possible in her finite amount of time each day. When she comes home each night and feels both exhausted and accomplished, she knows it’s been a good day. “I just want to give everybody that special touch, to make sure they’re smiling and doing well.” 

Ayala Levine, left, pictured with colleague Bianca Mendoza.