Rebecca Vander Plaats Named Life Enrichment Manager

Rebecca Vander Plaats of Highland, IN, has been hired as the Life Enrichment Manager at Victory Centre of Park Forest, a supportive living and senior apartment community, located at 101 Main Street in Park Forest, owned and operated by Pathway Senior Living, LLC.
Hailing from Athens, GA, Vander Plaats brings southern charm to this Midwest senior living community, along with a long list of qualifications and experience. Vander Plaats holds a graduate certificate in gerontology, a master’s degree in international and intercultural management, and a bachelor’s degree in communication studies. She is working on dissertation research in organizational culture change in long-term care to complete a doctorate in adult education, learning and organization development. Her professional background includes experience in long-term care, hospitality and adult education.
In her role as Life Enrichment Manager, Vander Plaats will ensure that the Park Forest residents experience Pathway’s award-winning lifestyle known as VIVA! Vander Plaats is especially well-suited to help direct Pathway’s World Travel VIVA! program as she has led travel-study trips to Malaysian Borneo, South Korea, the Galápagos Islands and mainland Ecuador, Costa Rica, England, and Morocco. Her personal travels also include Canada, Mexico, France, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic. Vander Plaats’ Spanish language skills help her connect with the bilingual residents at Victory Centre of Park Forest.
Vander Plaats’s passion and training in dementia care complements Pathway’s signature “Creating Connections” program for residents with varying levels of dementia. “Creating Connections is one of the many aspects of VIVA! that inspires me as a senior living professional,” says Vander Plaats.