Meet the Life Enrichment Team at Fairmont Senior Living Westlake

Betty Hedrick has spent 22 years building joy into other people’s lives, and at Fairmont Senior Living Westlake, that work has found its home.

Betty serves as Activities Manager, and alongside her is Activities Assistant Sadie Walther, a Westlake-area local of 24 years who has spent the last three and a half of them showing up for our residents with energy, laughter, and care. Together, they form a life enrichment team that treats every activity as a chance for residents to lead, participate, and feel at home in their community. If you want to see their work in action, the amenities and programming at Fairmont Senior Living of Westlake reflect the kind of environment Betty and Sadie have helped build.

A Career Built on Connection

Betty’s path to senior living started at 19, when she earned her STNA certification and went directly into care. Her motivation was personal. A close relationship with her Great Grandfather gave her an early, firsthand understanding of how much it matters to truly show up for an older adult. Over the years, she completed a specialized activities coordinator training program and found her professional home in life enrichment, a role that draws on both her creativity and her natural ability to connect with people.

When asked what she loves most about her work, Betty’s answer is immediate: the happiness she brings to her residents. Her best friend would describe her in one word. Joyful. Spend five minutes with Betty, and it makes complete sense.

Sadie brings a different kind of energy to the team. She loves one-on-one moments, finding the laugh in an ordinary Tuesday afternoon, and making sure every resident she works with feels seen. Ask her best friend to sum her up, and the word is uplifting. Ask our residents, and you will hear the same.

A Calendar Built With Residents, Not Just For Them

At Fairmont Senior Living Westlake, the activity calendar is not handed down to residents. It is built with them. Betty runs a Calendar Building Club where residents have a direct hand in shaping their own programming. Some residents take it further and lead activities themselves, based on their own interests and skills.

Sadie’s approach runs parallel. Before planning anything, she asks residents directly what they are interested in. That question drives everything that follows.

This is the Montessori Inspired Lifestyle® approach to supporting independence at Fairmont Senior Living Westlake in everyday action. Residents help set up activities, run them, and break them down when they are finished. When our residents have real ownership of what happens in their community, the engagement reflects it.

Schedule a tour at Fairmont Senior Living Westlake to see our Life Enrichment programming in person.

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What a Day With Betty and Sadie Looks Like

Bingo is one of Sadie’s favorites to run, and the reason goes beyond the game itself. It draws a crowd, it gets everyone involved, and the snack is built into the experience. For Sadie, a room full of noise and laughter is exactly what she shows up to create.

Betty comes alive around special events. She and our residents plan together, decorate together, and experience the day together. The preparation is not a task that happens offstage before the event starts. It is part of the event, and our residents are in the middle of it from the beginning. For a closer look at what that energy looks like between events, a typical day at Fairmont Senior Living of Westlake shows how that spirit carries through from morning to evening.

These are not things done for residents. They are things done with them. That distinction is one Betty and Sadie carry into everything they plan.

Deep Roots, Real Commitment

Between them, Betty and Sadie bring more than 25 years of experience in senior living. Betty has lived in the Westlake area her entire life and built her whole career in this field. Sadie has called the area home for 24 years and has spent the last three and a half of them bringing that familiarity and care to our residents.

What that kind of experience and local connection creates is hard to replicate: a team that knows the community, knows the residents, and shows up the same way every single day. Betty describes her strengths as creativity and the ability to get along with anyone she meets. Sadie describes hers as dedication, a caring attitude, and a talent for making things fun.

Those are not job descriptions. They are the qualities that make daily life at Fairmont Senior Living Westlake feel the way it does.

The Life Enrichment team at Fairmont Senior Living Westlake is one of the reasons families choose our community, and one of the reasons our residents love where they live. If you are exploring senior living options in the Westlake area, we would love to show you what a day here looks like. Reach out to our team to start the conversation.