Jenny Jackson of Bradford, Ontario was recently recognized at her company, Motion, for her dedication and commitment to helping seniors and those with mobility issues acquire the proper equipment needed to make life more accessible.
Jackson has been with Motion for the past seven years as a sales consultant. She worked at the York Region location up until recently when she transferred over to the Barrie office to be closer to home.
"I always wanted to work where I lived and give back to the seniors in my community and there was an opportunity and I couldn't be happier (to have transferred)," she said.
Jackson is a registered kinesiologist with a specialty in biomechanics and healthy aging for seniors. In her role, she goes into clients' homes and helps assess their needs for mobility equipment such as stairlifts, wheelchairs, and ramps.
"We work together to make sure in the end, they're happy," she said.
Jackson was drawn to the mobility industry and working with seniors after losing her grandparents at a young age.
"I always felt there was something missing from my life," she said, "I knew I always wanted to help seniors."
She started her career working in long-term care homes.
"It seemed like the perfect place for me," she said, "I can kind of envision what they need in order to make them successful with their mobility and accessibility needs."
Motion is Canada’s leading mobility and accessibility solutions provider since 1985. There are 24 employees at the Barrie location and Jackson says part of their success comes from the team's passion for the business and strong work ethic.
Jackson's sales territory includes Orillia, Barrie, Bradford, Alliston, Orangeville and Innisfil.
Motion recently partnered with the National Registry of Rehabilitation Technology Suppliers (NRRTS), a professional association supporting individuals who provide Complex Rehab Technology (CRT), including wheelchairs and seated positioning systems for people of all ages and diagnoses who have postural or mobility deficits.
"Because I went through the training process it's made me a Registered Rehabilitation Technology Supplier,(RRTS)," she said, "No other vendor has this partnership where their sales reps are actually designated and have to take certain training, so it sets us apart from our competition."
Jackson loves keeping up to date on the latest trends and technologies in her field, so when the opportunity to receive the specialized training at work, she was quick to sign up.
With the pandemic, Jackson has been doing a lot of virtual assessments with clients. In the summer, she was able to conduct a lot of assessments outdoors, and now in the winter anytime she needs to enter the home she is outfitted in personal protective equipment, masks, gloves and face shields. There is also an extensive screening process for both clients and staff before entering any home.
"We were able to keep ourselves safe because of the policies they (Motion) put in right from the start," she said. "We have to make sure we are keeping them safe, ourselves safe, our families safe, our LTCs safe."
Jackson's work involves not only in-client home visits but assessments at long-term care homes across the region.
"I love both, they both present different challenges, and I love both challenges equally," she said about working in client homes and at LTCs.
Motion is the preferred vendor of both The Elden Retirement Residence and LOFT Community Services, and Jackson loves having the opportunity to work with the local seniors.
Jackson has lived in Bradford for the past 15 years, moving from the city near Yonge and Sheppard.
"I started off as a city girl...I didn't think when we moved north that I would love it," she remembers.
After being in town for so many years, she said she wouldn't want to be anywhere else.
"I love Bradford," she said.
Her job at Motion has allowed her to grow and develop her career while pursuing her passion for helping seniors.
"We feel that at Motion it's a great privilege and responsibility to make life accessible for everyone," she said, "The Motion Barrie team, we all have separate jobs but we all do our jobs to the best of our ability because there's a smiling customer at the end, and it's a wonderful feeling to be part of such a wonderful team."
