A Safe Place to Land: Senior Residential Counselor Elisa Rose Helps Residents Shine

Elisa Rose is a senior residential counselor in ServiceNet’s Developmental and Brain Injury Services (DBIS) division. For the past two years, she has worked in a residential care home supporting four individuals. 

During that time, she has built strong bonds with the residents, affectionately referring to them as “her gentlemen” or “her guys.” In addition to collaborating with other staff members around the house, she helps coordinate appointments, accompanies the residents on community outings, and ensures they feel as independent as possible. 

Her experience as a mother has deeply influenced her approach to the work, as she supports each individual in reaching their personal goals and aspirations. 

“Being a mom means helping others get ready to face life’s challenges on their own,” she says. “It’s about providing a safe place to land, and if they fail the first time, encouraging them to get back up and try again.” 

That sentiment is what helps Elisa excel in her position, and the emotional reward for her work comes naturally from the participants at the house.  

“One of my favorite things about it is seeing the joy in their faces as they do something that they didn’t think that they could do or something hard for them… and that they were able to accomplish with just a little bit of extra support.”  

Sometimes, Elisa doesn’t have to do much to support “her guys,” sometimes she just has to be there for them.  One of the participants, who is also a student that Elisa works with one-on-one during the school year, gave a presentation at UMass’s Boltwood Project to over 100 other students, discussing his experience as an older student with disabilities.  

“My job for that particular thing was to sit down and let him shine—and he shone so very brightly!” said Elisa.  

Elisa has many similar stories like that, too numerous to recount.  

She says that she enjoys her work because she’s a very service-oriented person who finds joy in helpfulness and supporting others.  

It’s been a part of her personality since an early age. When she was eight, she helped her mother administer eye drops to their neighbors, a 102-year-old woman and her 97-year-old brother. She often watched her mother help manage the medication of those neighbors, and the sense of satisfaction that she received from being helpful and taking care of others stayed with her.  

“I love interacting with people. They bring so much meaning to my day that I can’t even articulate it all,” said Elisa.  “Just watching them do their daily living and watching them as they progress beyond what people thought they could do 40-50 years ago is amazing,” said Elisa. “Even if I’ve seen that same thing 30,000 times, seeing it through their eyes, always brings a sense of joy and wonder.”