Dear Friends,

I’m Bob Dockhorn, and this past summer I began a two year term as President of the Friends House Seniors Association. What is the Friends House Seniors Association (FHSA)? Our purpose is to provide beneficial services to seniors. Among these are distributing free food, visitation, support to people in healthcare, and many other activities and services.

We help make Friends House a unique and exciting place to live. Members of FHSA include all residents in independent living, Homes on Quaker Lane, Haviland Assisted Living, Stabler Hall Nursing, and Thomas Hall Rehabilitation.

The governance of FHSA is assigned to voluntary officers: a President, two Vice-presidents, a Secretary and Assistant, and a Treasurer and Assistant, serving two-year terms. They preside over a monthly agenda-setting FHSA Board meeting and a following General Meeting. A Coordinating Committee handles communication between residents and management over specific needs.

A monthly general meeting provides the central decision-making structure – in person, on Zoom, or hybrid. Before this meeting, residents gather in “Neighborhoods” rooted in the living arrangements of different parts of our campus, to consider concerns that feed into the larger meetings. Separately from FHSA, the FHRC Administration holds monthly Town Halls and Coffee Hours to keep residents informed of developments.

Residents keep informed through email Listservs, daily and digital calendars, information technology specialists, bulletin board posters, mealtime announcements, and – of course – word of mouth! We socialize in lounges, indoor and outdoor gathering spots, the dining room, over games, and in meetings – on varied social and political topics reflecting the diversity of our population. This wide range of residents’ desires for being good neighbors and actively engaged individuals makes Friends House a truly unique place in the world of retirement communities.

Bob Dockhorn, Friends House Seniors Association President