Behind The Scenes With Two Of MVES’s Resident Service Coordinators

Alison Dolan (left) and Katie Kretas have almost ten years of combined experience with MVES. Alison has been with us for two and a half years and Katie for seven.

Six months ago Alison Dolan and Katie Kretas packed up and cleaned out their desks at MVES. Thankfully, they weren’t leaving us…just relocating! Now, as MVES resident service coordinators, they hold down the fort offsite at three supportive housing sites in Melrose. As two of MVES’s seven resident service coordinators, Alison and Katie are onsite and accessible to building residents to offer information, advice, support, and fun activities too!

Editor: What are your major responsibilities as resident service coordinators?

Katie: Like a regular care manager, we’re responsible for coordinating the care and services of MVES clients. Plus, we’re also available to the residents who aren’t MVES clients, should they need our assistance. We do outreach in our buildings to make sure that MVES services are available to everyone who wants them and is eligible. There’s also an activities and recreation planning part of the job.

Editor: At which supportive housing sites do you work?

Alison: I have all of the Fuller House at 101 Cottage Street in Melrose. Katie has all of the Cochrane House at 80 Grove Street in Melrose. We share the Levi Gould House at 200 West Foster Street. Combined, our buildings house about 325 elders and about 95 or so of them are MVES clients. There are also resident service coordinators like us at sites in Wakefield, Everett, and another building in Melrose. MVES helps elders in nine buildings.

Editor: Before transitioning to the role of MVES resident service coordinators, you were both care managers. How is this new role different?

Katie: The difference is that now our offices are onsite [the supportive housing site]. We’re there most of the day so we see a lot more elders.

Alison: The relationships that we build with the elders are different too. Because we have daily contact with so many of our residents, we’re able to develop even stronger, closer relationships.

Katie: And, it’s really fun because now we get to plan parties, activities, and projects!

Editor: Like what?

Katie: We organize birthday parties, theme parties, cookouts, bingo, movie days, craft projects, coffee hours…

Alison: Fifty people have already RSVP’d to an upcoming ice cream sundae party!

Editor: What’s your favorite part of the job?

Alison: Because of my past experience, I’d say I like the planning piece best. It really gives the position a fun spin. Before I worked at MVES, I was a program director and an activities director at an assisted living facility.

Katie: My favorite part is the relationships I’m able to form with my residents. They know where to find me. They ask me questions, approach me, trust me, and feel comfortable with me.

Alison: I like that part too!

Editor: Do you ever miss being located at MVES’s main office in Malden?

Alison: I miss the social aspect of working with everyone at the office. Also, I miss the luxuries of the office—like being a just few steps away from my office mailbox!

Katie: Mostly I miss my coworkers and being able to just turn around and have them there, you know, to bounce something off of them. But they’re just a phone call away, so we can still do that now.

Editor: What are you up to this summer outside of work?

Katie: I’m planning to take my 10-month-old twins to Story Land. We know it’s early, but we don’t care! And, we’re busy planning their first birthday party.