“If a senior living community is going to become a true “friend-making machine,”
it has to be intentional.”
Lucia Klebar, Director of Sales and Marketing at Saint John’s On The Lake, shares her perspective on one of the most important—and often overlooked—aspects of healthy aging: meaningful human connection.
In 2023, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy named loneliness and social isolation as a national epidemic in post-COVID America. For many of us who work with older adults, that message felt deeply familiar. We see every day how much human connection matters—not only to emotional well-being, but to physical health, purpose and quality of life. His advisory noted that nearly half of U.S. adults experience loneliness, and AARP research has shown that isolation can increase the risk of depression, anxiety, heart disease, stroke and even premature death. While our country is still searching for a larger strategy, communities like ours are already asking a very personal question: how do we help people feel known, welcomed and connected?
At Saint John’s On The Lake, connection is not something we leave to chance. It is part of who we are and how life here is lived day by day. Residents find friendship and belonging through shared meals, volunteer opportunities, groups and programs, casual conversations, and the simple neighbor-to-neighbor kindness that makes a community feel like home. That spirit is one of the things that makes Saint John’s such a vibrant, socially engaged and welcoming place to live.
If a senior living community is going to become a true “friend-making machine,” it has to be intentional. It takes caring staff, engaged residents and a culture that notices people, invites them in and helps them find their place.
Saint John’s is living that commitment in so many meaningful ways. Residents can choose from about 60 groups and activities, which means there are many doors into friendship—whether someone is looking for a familiar interest, a new hobby or simply a place to belong. Some of the best connections happen informally, too. I often think of the “standing meetings” that take place naturally in hallways, on the way to an event, after a meal or between gatherings. Neighbors and staff stop, talk, laugh, share ideas and sometimes even solve a problem together right there in the moment.
We also see connection grow through programs that are intentionally welcoming. Our “buddy system” brings residents living independently together with residents in the care neighborhoods so they can enjoy events and activities side by side. At Taylor’s, our fine dining restaurant, a resident-hosted community table welcomes newcomers and single residents two evenings each week, and a resident host or hostess greets diners as they arrive so people feel comfortable from the start. At the Prospect Grill, our casual dining venue, a second community table is open daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., inviting residents and staff to sit down for coffee, a meal or just a quick chat. Even Surprising Findings, our resident-run thrift shop, becomes a gathering place where volunteers and “Thrifters” connect several days a week. These are the kinds of everyday, intentional experiences that make Saint John’s feel lively, inclusive and deeply connected—and, most important, like a community where people truly see one another.