Enso Village Hires Van Heusden as Health and Wellbeing Director
August 3, 2023
HEALDSBURG, CA — Enso Village, a soon-to-open, Zen-inspired senior living community developed by The Kendal Corporation and the San Francisco Zen Center, has named Florence Van Heusden as its Health and Wellbeing Director. Van Heusden oversees all aspects of resident wellness, including physical and psychosocial care, along with playing a key role in building and maintaining effective care teams within the community.
“We are excited to welcome Florence to the Enso Village community,” Chief Executive Officer Rosemary Jordan shared. “Her experience in healthcare provides the valuable qualities and understanding needed to serve the community at Enso Village through the lens of mindful aging.”
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Van Heusden, who was born in The Netherlands, brings more than 30 years of experience of caring for patients and a track record of supporting widespread healthcare system improvements. Her most recent role was as a nursing manager, and she is a certified registered nurse; she has served in an array of healthcare settings in Marin and Sonoma counties in Northern California.
“I feel passionately that patient advocacy is of top priority,” Van Heusden stated. “Throughout the years, I have learned to better understand others’ experiences throughout their health journey. I am excited to begin my journey at Enso Village, which holds a unique mission to form an authentic and engaged community, where each person can follow the path of their choosing.”
Enso Village is a life plan community currently under construction in Healdsburg (70 miles north of San Francisco), with a focus on mindful aging, the joys of nature, environmental stewardship, and healthy life choices for adults 60+. This approach incorporates mindfulness practice, compassionate action, and memento-moment awareness while in relationship with those being cared for. It is rooted in Buddhist practices of meditation and contemplation. At Enso Village, all medical and caregiving staff have been trained in the practice of contemplative care.
Founded on Quaker principles and guided by its values and practices, Kendal’s operating affiliates provide independent living, assisted living, memory support, skilled nursing, and rehabilitation care in New Hampshire, New York, Massachusetts, Virginia, the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Ohio.
Enso Village is set to open this fall.