The Strength We Share: How Resilience Fuels Collective Wellbeing

This month, we’ve been exploring Pillar One of our Five Pillars of Positive Living: Positive Mindset and Emotional Resilience. Over the past three weeks, we’ve shared powerful stories from members of our older adult population–stories of navigating change, moving through grief, and finding the courage to rebuild.

For this final week, we turn outward. Because resilience doesn’t just live within us, it’s something we bear witness to in the lives of others, support, and amplify when we celebrate it. When we move through life together, the narrative shifts from walking alone, to being part of a collective journey. 

To explore this broader perspective, I spoke with two pillars of our community who have dedicated their lives to supporting others through some of life’s most vulnerable moments. Amber Pope, Funeral Director at Rivera Funeral Home, and Ken Hendricks, Business Development Advisor at Home Instead, who is also a grief group facilitator and hospice chaplain. Both bring a unique lens to resilience in older adults. They see people at their most vulnerable– and as a result, their most resilient.

A common theme that both shared was the power of vulnerability–the ability to stay curious about life, and consistently showing up to meet life with courage. According to Brene Brown, vulnerability is the willingness to show up and be seen, even when you cannot control the outcome. She once said, “Staying vulnerable is a risk we have to take if we want to experience connection.” And that’s exactly what my friends Amber and Ken have observed in their work with older adults–that staying resilient means being willing to be vulnerable and experience connection. 

Amber says, to her, vulnerability often means that the most meaningful shifts often begin with one small step toward connection–joining a group, making a call, or simply showing up. “We cannot achieve resilience without others,” she said. Ken sees it in the same way. In his experience, resilience isn’t about staying strong in isolation, but about being present and showing up, even in difficult moments. “They continue to put themselves in spaces where they can engage with others–whether that’s through community events, groups, or simple social interactions…What’s most striking is how often people surprise themselves. Even in the midst of loss, change, or uncertainty, they discover that they can keep going. And along the way, they begin to see that others have walked similar paths–that they’re not alone in it. That shared humanity, I think, is where resilience really lives.”

Our senior centers play a critical role in connecting people to each other. Whether it's a support group, card game, a fitness class or a shared meal, it’s a place where resilience is achieved. As Ken put so well, “I get to see people continue to show up, to connect, to keep going through all kinds of life experiences. That perspective is both humbling and encouraging–it reminds us that resilience isn’t about having everything figured out, but about staying open, and continuing forward, together.”

I’ve interviewed some fascinating people with incredible stories of resilience this month. And I think that after all of these conversations, what may be the most important takeaway, is that resilience grows stronger when we are connected. 

Join us next week as we dive into Pillar Two, Physical and Cognitive Health. We’ll hear stories, explore research, and discover what your senior centers have to offer!

Leah Blackwell, Programming and Marketing Coordinator at LARSO

As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, LARSO is driven by impact rather than profit. Our goal is to improve outcomes and generate positive, lasting change for older adults throughout Los Alamos County.