EMERITUS CORPORATION Barbara Hankins is an 82-year-old former ballroom dancing instructor whose enthusiasm for dancing kept her practicing on a weekly basis up until two years when health problems caused her to become wheelchair bound. Now her only connection to her life's passion is keeping up with her favorite TV show, Dancing with the Stars, and her Wish of a Lifetime is to one day dance again. On Thursday, October 29, her Wish came true when she not only attended a wheelchair accessible dance lesson at the Dance With Me studio in Fort Lee, N.J., but was also surprised by one of her favorite Dancing with the Stars cast members, Maksim Chmerkovskiy.
Barbara is a resident of Brookdale Deptford, a senior living community in Deptford Township N.J. As a little girl, she remembers attending a tap dance class with her father where he encouraged her to go in front of the class and show off her skills. Since that day she has loved to dance, and grew fond of ballroom dancing in particular. Throughout her life, she incorporated dancing into everything she did, and starting with her husband, began to teach others how to dance as well. Eventually her teaching ability grew to the point where she was able to start a dance class of her own.
In 2010, Brookdale Senior Living and Wish of a Lifetime formed a partnership to provide a helping hand in making some of the dreams of Brookdale's residents come true. To request a Wish, residents fill out a Wish application explaining an experience they would like to have fulfilled and how that experience relates to one or more dimensions of Brookdale's Optimum Life® platform. Optimum Life cultivates whole-person wellness through fulfillment in the six key dimensions: purposeful, emotional, physical, social, spiritual and intellectual. Since the partnership's inception, more than 600 Brookdale seniors have had their Wish granted.
For more information about Brookdale and Wish of a Lifetime visit brookdale.com and seniorwish.org.
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About Brookdale
Brookdale Senior Living Inc. is the leading operator of senior living communities throughout the United States. The Company is committed to providing senior living solutions primarily within properties that are designed, purpose-built and operated to provide the highest-quality service, care and living accommodations for residents. Currently Brookdale operates independent living, assisted living, and dementia-care communities and continuing care retirement centers, with approximately 1,135 communities in 47 states and the ability to serve over 110,000 residents. Through its ancillary services program, the Company also offers a range of outpatient therapy, home health, personalized living and hospice services.
About Wish of a Lifetime
Wish of a Lifetime™ fosters respect and appreciation for deserving seniors by fulfilling their life-enriching Wishes. Founded in 2008 by two-time Olympic skier, World Cup gold medalist, entrepreneur, and former NFL football player Jeremy Bloom in living honor of his grandmother, Wish of a Lifetime has made over 1,000 Wishes come true for seniors in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The organization aims to create a positive shift in the way society views and values aging by sharing the stories of its inspiring Wish recipients with those of all generations. After experiencing a wish, 93 percent of Wish recipients stated they felt their quality of life improved and 76 percent said they felt their overall health improved. To learn more about the organization or to help fulfill a senior's Wish visit www.seniorwish.org
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