Several residents of Village Concepts of Burien – El Dorado West gathered at Evergreen Market in South Renton for an educational seminar about the health benefits of cannabis. Evergreen Market looks vastly different from what most people would expect a pot store to look like, it has huge windows, colorful displays, and an open floor where employees wait to answer questions. In the back is a conference room where they host educational seminars to break the stigma around cannabis and who the typical cannabis user is.

Educators Wacheke and Elan gave a presentation covering the various uses of cannabis, from topicals to tinctures, edibles and vaping, and the difference between CBD, THC, and CBN. El Dorado West resident Denise listened with rapt attention, asking detailed questions about how cannabis could help her inflammation, and what she should use for intestinal health. She also asked why medical professionals weren’t working with Evergreen, if cannabis has so many quality of life benefits and was told that the government’s labeling of cannabis as a schedule one drug prevents this sort of collaboration and further research on its uses. Denise wanted to know more about certain roots and herbs being used with CBD and THC to help digestion, but research was very limited on this due to strict research laws put in place by the government. 

 Connie, a resident of El Dorado West and veteran of these education trips, nodded along. She uses cannabis-based products for their health benefits and commented that these education seminars were especially important for seniors.

“My generation needs to be educated about [cannabis],” she said, pointing out that her generation believes so much of the “stigma” around cannabis use.

After the educational seminar, they went out to the shop to browse. El Dorado West resident Darlene, sporting a green cardigan with marijuana leaves, spent additional time with another educator asking about various products and their uses. Everyone went home with a bag full of cannabis products to use for ailments ranging from sleep trouble to inflammation.  When asked if they enjoyed their visit, Connie quickly responded, “I’ll be back!”

Village Concepts, a third generation, family-owned business, hosts many of these trips with their other retirement communities. They believe in providing their seniors with experiences like this to keep their residents always learning and growing, to improve quality of life and enhance a sense of community that feels like family.

About Village Concepts:

Founded in 1975, Village Concepts owns and operates residential and assisted living communities throughout Washington State and provides property management and consulting services for owners of assisted living communities. Village Concepts is a third-generation family-owned business, drawing upon 40 years of experience and a proud tradition of providing personalized care to more than 1,400 residents in 17 senior living communities throughout Puget Sound, the Olympic Peninsula and Central Washington. Each community encourages residents to “create a village that feels like family” by providing personalized care, fostering new relationships and encouraging independence. A leader in the senior living industry, Village Concepts sets itself apart with individually tailored care plans, on-site programming, certified and licensed staff on-hand 24 hours per day. For more information, visit www.villageconcepts.com.