Today we’d like to introduce you to Marlea Martin.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I always knew I would be a caregiver, but as a child, I never dreamed I’d become a leader. When I was a small child, I would go with my grandmother who was a home health aide to help her care for patients. It came very natural to me, comforting and nurturing. At the age of 17, I moved to Jacksonville Beach, Florida and completed my certification in Medical Assisting. I grew and developed my profession in healthcare, caring for patients of all ages in the general practitioner setting.
After 12 years of clinical care, the birth of my two eldest children and many life changes later I found myself wanting more. I moved to Cherokee County Ga and decided after much deliberation to go back to school and become an Occupational Therapist Assistant. As we all know…nothing goes as planned. My program was deferred and I was devastated. It took me years to get through my general education courses in health science, so now what? I didn’t give up and I began researching programs to transfer into. That’s when I found what turned out to be one of the best moves in my life. Reinhardt University had just established a bachelors in health management undergraduate program.
During this time, I had to overcome many obstacles. I was not a traditional college student, and I truly never thought I was smart enough to ever achieve a bachelors degree in anything (I was the first woman in my family to attend and successfully graduate with an undergraduate degree). As I neared graduation, I had won an award for community service excellence (Bob Driscoll Service Award), been on the Deans list multiple times, and given birth to my third child. I say all this because if I could do it despite the obstacles of life so could any woman. It is all about “how worth it is it to you”.
During my senior year, in my capstone course, I was given a project to assist a local hospital in bridging the gap between services they provided and the senior community. This was the game changer for me. I rekindled my love for the elderly and also was awaken to the growing threats our seniors face daily. I decided to become an advocate for the seniors in my community and joined organizations as a volunteer that supported the senior population in Cherokee and Cobb County.
Has it been a smooth road?
I am a mother of three, a wife and career driven woman. That in itself can be a challenge; however, the hardest challenge within my career is educating the general population on what challenges our aging population face. The education that falls on leaders and advocates within the senior community are now tasked with drawing awareness to the rising numbers of dementia and Alzheimer’s diagnosis’s, the dangers of loneliness and depression among our seniors, the lack of resources available to our aging population and the lack of knowledge about what actually is available to them.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Lotus Adult Day Center – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
As VP of Operations I find myself wearing many hats…and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Lotus Adult Day Center provides a secure environment that offers socialization, activities, exercise and nutritious meals to adults with memory impairment or physical disabilities that render them unable to be left home alone during the day. We care for our participants and team as if they were our mothers, sisters, fathers or brothers. Lotus is a family!
We offer such a unique service: it makes the participants feel like they are apart of something and they have purpose in life again, as, for their caregivers, they have peace of mind knowing their loved one is in a nurturing environment being cared for by people who truly care. We offer continuous support past our doors. We want to be a resource to our community and we realize what we do isn’t always the right fit. As an industry professional I want to help families make the right choice. With any form of disability, especially memory impairment consistency is everything.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I love that, even though our city is huge it always feels like home! I’m proud to be apart of a diverse culture, the constant drive to keep it local as consumers, we have an amazing music and arts scene. If I want to go to a sporting event, I have two beautiful new venues to visit. Despite the vastness of the Atlanta and metro areas there remains southern charm and elegance in just about every community.
I don’t love the traffic!!!
Contact Info:
- Address: 4595 Towne Lake Pkwy
Bldg 400 Ste 100
Woodstock, GA 30189 - Website: www.lotusadultcenter.com
- Phone: (678) 653-4775
- Email: m.martin@lotusadultcenter.com
- Facebook: Facebook.com/LotusTowneLake
Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
