Lebanon's Opposing Religious Factions Brought Together by California Retirement Community CEO to Solidify Eldercare
REEDLEY, Calif., March 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- David Reimer, President and Chief Executive Officer of Palm Village Retirement Community (www.palmvillage.com) in Reedley, California, recently played a key role in bringing together opposing Middle Eastern religious factions to start a dialogue aimed at building allegiances among these groups in support of establishing new Senior Care Communities in Lebanon.
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160301/339400
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160301/339401
Throughout his 30-year career of managing and consulting in the senior healthcare industry, Reimer has always been instrumental in developing new ways to provide improved healthy living for seniors. And when he met Joyce Eid, of Beirut, Lebanon in 2012 and learned that her entire country did not have even one Eldercare Center for seniors, Reimer was inspired to change that.
Reimer's collaboration with Eid led to the organization of meetings of opposing religious factions in Cyprus and Lebanon, including Cyprus2015, an Inter-Faith Lebanese Eldercare Conference held September, 2015 in Larnaca, Cyprus. His work as part of an American delegation of Mennonite Church leaders and officials raised awareness about the need to create eldercare communities in Lebanon that closely follow the successful models of eldercare that are used in Europe and North America.
Reimer's leadership and fund raising efforts to organize the Cyprus2015 conference helped to break down century-long barriers among religious factions in the region. This first-ever conference examined the possibilities of developing new, open channels for collaboration among Lebanese leaders serving older adults, and created future plans for providing improved senior living services in Lebanon. The conference was significant because it brought together to align for a single purpose, representatives of Shia, Sunni, Druze, Evangelical Protestant, Eastern Orthodox, Maronite and Roman Catholic belief who were formerly opposing political and cultural factions from the region. Speakers at Cyprus2015 were Reimer and Eid, Dr. Majd Alwan, Dr. Paul Norwood, Dr. Rick Stiffney.
"When we first gathered, the attendees were subdued and spoke in English when possible. As the positive collaboration became apparent, all energetically contributed, speaking in Arabic, a good sign," commented Reimer.
The partnership between Reimer and Eid began when she was invited to visit Palm Village Retirement Community for a month in 2012 with the goal of learning how to enhance operations as General Manager of the Moadieh Evangelical Center for Eldercare in Beirut – set to open in 2013. Eid spent the majority of her time with eldercare staff and residents to learn about the day-to-day operations, policies, and procedures in order to implement them in Beirut.
Reimer's work on this important project continued in January, 2014 when he traveled to Beirut to meet with Eid and residents of Moadieh Evangelical Center, and discuss the Center's progress. To fully understand both societal and religious differences in Beirut, Reimer immersed himself in the Lebanese culture, eating traditional foods and visiting many important cultural sites. He was invited to listen to the See of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Pope Aram 1, discussing the many opposing religious factions in Lebanon.
During the visit to Lebanon, Reimer discussed best practices for Senior Living Centers, how to improve quality of life for Lebanese residents, how to develop key management positions and Boards of Directors, marketing, accounting and human resources.
With the knowledge and experiences shared in the two countries by Reimer and Eid, they initiated Cyprus2015. Additional meetings between the many opposing factions in Lebanon and Lebanese government officials took place in October 2015. The meetings were historic in scope as they represented a new collaboration between these religious factions and the Lebanese government, in regards to improving eldercare conditions in Lebanon. The interfaith groups have also now committed to monthly meetings in 2016.
Both Reimer and Eid met in Boston, MA November 2, 2015 at the LeadingAge Annual Meeting and Expo to present "Eldercare in Lebanon: An International Partnership," a forum which explored the steps taken to provide services to seniors in Lebanon regardless of religious or ethnic background. LeadingAge is part of the International Association of Homes and Services for the Aging, which spans 30 countries across the globe.
CONTACT: Julie Celeste, Email, or (541) 344-2308
SOURCE Palm Village Retirement Community
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