Village at Buckland Court Wins National Best of the Best Award

Benchmark, a human connection company and leading provider of senior living services in the Northeast, today announced that The Village at Buckland Court, an assisted living and memory care community in South Windsor, Conn., has received one of the senior living industry’s highest honors. At the 2019 Argentum Senior Living Executive Conference and Expo, the community received the Argentum Best of the Best Award for Resident and Family Engagement for pioneering an adult education program, beating out hundreds of submissions from across the country.

Buckland Court was recognized for creating a way to engage its more independent residents and a scenario whereby they are actively participating in a program that meets their current needs and interests. The program is offered to all residents as an extension of the community’s mission to elevate human connection and keep its residents connected to what matters most in their lives.

“This award is not just for us as a community or our associates but also equally shared with our residents who were an integral part of the program development and success!,” says Denna Chenette, Buckland Court programming director who recently earned her Ph.D. and accepted the award on the Argentum conference stage in San Antonio, Texas. “The beauty of what we created through this collaborative effort is a resident driven program that fostered numerous new relationships and personal connections among residents and our associates.”

The Buckland Court adult education program consists of a semester-long, collegiate level program featuring one or two courses per day on a variety of subjects. Online, in-person and experiential classes are offered with several residents functioning as instructors. Now in its second semester, it consists of 35 classes designed to increase one’s knowledge of topics such as geography, history, culture, current affairs, the arts, writing and language, music theory and advanced acrylic painting. In addition to a drama club, there’s also an intergenerational program and educational trips to local museums.

“Keeping our residents active and engaged through lifelong learning is a focus at every Benchmark community, but Buckland Court is a shining example because residents, their families and associates work together beautifully to create what’s meaningful to all,” says Tom Grape, founder, chairman and CEO of Benchmark. “I’m so proud of everyone at Buckland Court for what they’ve accomplished and am delighted to have them represent Benchmark on our industry stage.”