Elle Merrill – Team Member Scholarship Recipient Provides Healthy Outcomes for LifeCircles PACE Participants

As the first full-time dietitian at LifeCircles PACE Holland, I am proud to offer the highest level of nutritional care to all our participants.  It’s important for me to make connections with people.  I always wanted to work with older adults, and there is such a need for geriatric healthcare professionals.  Then I discovered PACE.  I can create my own programs, build relationships, and be creative and flexible in providing the best possible health outcomes for each PACE participant.  It’s a great place to be.

I am pursuing my graduate degree in Nutrition and Dietetics, thanks to the Team Member Scholarship I received in November.  Each day, my education supports my work with participants who have a variety of chronic diseases and individualized dietary needs.  Having my graduate degree will greatly enhance my confidence and ability to make healthy recommendations for our participants, including sustainable weight loss, diabetes management, medical nutrition therapy, and more.

Engaging with participants in the LifeCircles Day Center is one of my favorite parts of my job, including working with the recreational therapy team to provide cooking demonstrations, prepare recipes together, and sample new foods.  I also enjoy the opportunity to share healthy nutritional advice to my team members across UMRC & Porter Hills in my role as a Wellness Champion for the organization.

Thank you to the Porter Hills Foundation for this scholarship.  It has made me feel super appreciated as a team member.  I feel very supported.  This degree will truly help me reach my highest potential.

You can support success stories like Elle’s!  To learn more about the UMRC Foundation and Porter Hills Foundation Team Member Support Services program, visit UMRCFoundation.UMRCPH.com or PorterHillsFoundation.UMRCPH.com.