ILA Member Spotlight – William and Luz Westendorf

Independent Living Association (ILA) members William and Luz Westendorf bring a vibrant and caring spirit to their Independent Living home of Casa de Vista. As a former licensed administrator for a Residential Care Facility for the Elderly (RCFE), Luz uses her background in this field to help William operate his beautiful home in North San Diego County. In addition to his Independent Living, William runs his own wholesale retail health food business and also used to do some work with the Chamber of Commerce in Vista, so he brings valuable business sense to the home’s operations.

William and Luz found the ILA through a simple Internet search. She was looking for ways to make a difference in the community and the ILA website came up as a search result. Luz always enjoyed and loved making a difference through her work with the RCFE, and the ILA stood out to her from all of the other ways she could help the community. William had a house and the space to take in residents, so they signed up for the ILA’s Introduction to Independent Living Operations course, and the rest was history.

Their favorite part about being Independent Living owners is being able to help their residents lead independent lives. Luz sees herself as a guide for the residents in leading them on the right path toward recovery: “I’m so pleased that they are happy”. Both William and Luz like to do outdoor activities in their free time, and they often take the residents out for walks on the hiking trail behind the house. They also enjoy conversing with the residents as they gather in the kitchen for mealtimes: “there is a lot of conversation about anything and everything”.

As new ILA members, William and Luz have been enthusiastic participants in the ILA’s educational courses. Luz asserts that it is always good to learn new things, and “we can never learn enough”.

For more information on Casa de Vista, please visit the home’s profile on the ILA Directory at http://ilasd.org/listings/casa-de-vista/.