Former Police Officer Finds Joy in New Role at Brightmore of East Memphis
April 22, 2024
A varied career and experience interacting with many people—sometimes in crisis situations—has prepared Lee Anne Harris for her new role as a sales counselor at Brightmore of East Memphis. The full-service rental senior living community offers independent living, assisted living, and memory care. Harris, 60, started her career as a paralegal for a judge, then transitioned to working in insurance for 28 years. She followed that with an intriguing career switch. Harris went to work for ten years as a Memphis police officer, where she patrolled the streets, did traffic control, worked special events, delivered warrants and completed other duties.
“I was the only female working the 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. shift,” says Harris, who often responded to calls from people in distress.
“They just wanted someone to listen to them. They needed guidance and compassion.”
Harris brings that same level of empathy to her present role. As a sales counselor at Brightmore of East Memphis, she is often the first and main contact for future residents and their family members as they navigate a potential move to the senior living community.
Harris, who has dyslexia and auditory processing issues, says she was 50 and a single mother when she earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice administration. These were challenges that have helped her relate well to others and understand the struggles they may be having.
“I have compassion because I’ve been through so much personally,” she says.
Deciding to take a position working in senior living was a significant career change for Harris, but she says all of her previous experiences have prepared her well for the job. “I haven’t been in this market before, but I have people experience, and it’s in my nature to help,” says Harris, who values the level of attention that residents receive at Brightmore of East Memphis. It matches her own approach to looking after the needs of others, which she describes “as providing genuine care and going the extra mile for residents and their families.”
Working with future residents and their families means interacting with people navigating all types of situations. They include people who are eager to move and start their next chapter, people who are feeling stressed and considering senior living because of a health problem, people who are leaving a long-time home, couples with one person who wants to move into senior living and another who doesn’t, and many other dynamics.
Harris explains the rewards that becoming part of the Brightmore of East Memphis community offers residents who still want to be active and enjoy their lives. She describes how it will reduce stress and open them to new experiences and friendships.
Harris conducts tours of the senior living community to provide future residents with a close-up look at all that Brightmore of East Memphis has to offer. This includes an indoor pool, state-of-the-art fitness equipment, restaurant-style dining, shared spaces for their many social, educational and entertainment programs, and more. Harris takes time to answer people’s questions and thoroughly explains the process of moving to the community –something they are often unfamiliar with. “I walk them through the process,” she says. She encourages people to take their time in considering the move. “I tell everyone we’ll just take baby steps,” she adds. “If someone moves here, I want them to be happy and for their families to be happy too.”
Brightmore of East Memphis
Opening in 2023, Brightmore of East Memphis is a rental retirement community providing independent living, assisted living and memory care. Brightmore features a scenic campus in the prominent Kirby Gate neighborhood of East Memphis, Tennessee–known as the city’s garden district. The 8-acre property offers a wide range of on-site amenities including an indoor pool, state-of-the-art fitness center and multiple dining venues. Brightmore of East Memphis is owned and operated by Liberty Senior Living, LLC, a division of Liberty Healthcare Management that specializes in senior living and retirement communities. To learn more about Brightmore at East Memphis, visit https://www.BrightmoreOfEastMemphis.com. To learn more about Liberty Senior Living and the communities they offer, please visit www.LibertySeniorLiving.com .