A common statement we often hear from senior independent living residents at Country Meadows Retirement Communities is, “I wish I had moved here sooner.”
Rather than staying at home, many times alone, older adults who move into retirement communities enjoy getting to know their new neighbors, participating in activities and entertainment and going on outings. Unfortunately, many people wait until an emergency strikes before looking at senior independent living communities. This forces individuals to make a quick decision without fully understanding the different levels of care available to seniors’ varied needs.
Today’s senior living communities offer more care options than ever before. Despite this, misperceptions exist. Senior living communities are often mislabeled as “nursing homes,” sometimes referred to as dark, depressing places where residents sit around in wheelchairs with no one to talk to and nothing to do. This could not be further from the truth.
Services offered in senior independent living communities, such as personal care, memory support and skilled nursing are delivered in settings frequently described as “bright,” “happy” and “colorful.” Most communities offer modern, elegant surroundings in newly constructed or renovated buildings utilizing elements that incorporate functionality and amenities.
While choosing a beautiful home setting is certainly important, older adults also have a variety of choices in available service levels. When visiting senior independent living communities, a representative will conduct a thorough assessment of the individual’s desired living situation as well as physical and cognitive health. This will help determine the best level of care for you or your loved one.
Senior Independent Living
Senior independent living offers older adults an active lifestyle with freedom from the hassles of home ownership such as maintenance, lawn care, snow removal and repairs. Residents may come and go as they please and enjoy amenities such as chef-prepared meals, housekeeping and a robust calendar of social opportunities including art classes, musical entertainment, educational lectures and classes and fitness opportunities. Many senior independent living communities, including Country Meadows, also provide emergency response in the event of illness with 24-hour access to on-campus medical staff.
To combat loneliness, senior independent living offers opportunities for social connections with neighbors from the same age group and generation. The effects of social isolation can be devastating to physical and mental health. The opportunity to make new friends and enjoy activities together is good for body, mind and spirit.
Personal Care/Assisted Living
Personal care and assisted living services offer some assistance to seniors who are mostly independent but need a little help with some everyday activities. Trained staff are available to help with seniors’ needs such as bathing, dressing, medication management, housekeeping and transportation to appointments and assistance with errands.
At Country Meadows, personal care and assisted living residents are provided with chef-prepared meals served three times each day, housekeeping services and dynamic living programs including fitness, spiritual life, entertainment and educational opportunities.
Memory Care
Memory care is a specialized form of care for individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementia. Country Meadows is a leading provider of memory care services and offers both secured and non-secured living accommodations to provide a safe, structured environment with set routines to lower stress for residents. Our co-workers also provide assistance to help residents with personal care tasks.
At Country Meadows, we work with each resident to customize a support plan to match each individual’s needs and address common emotions such as frustration, anxiety and loneliness. To enrich residents’ lives and focus on the whole person, our dynamic living program provides activities and opportunities to strengthen or maintain memory capabilities, fitness opportunities to promote balance, stretching, strength and endurance as well as safe, secure outings supervised by a team of co-workers.
Skilled Nursing
Commonly referred to as a “nursing home” or “convalescent home,” skilled nursing facilities provide the highest level of care outside of a hospital. Trained co-workers deliver care 24-hours a day, seven days a week to patients who need medical supervision due to acute and complex health care conditions that require ongoing nursing care and therapy.
Skilled nursing facilities can offer a wide range of services and medical care including physical and occupational therapy, speech-language therapy, wound care, injections and monitoring of medical conditions.
Country Meadows has nine locations in Pennsylvania and one campus location in Frederick, Maryland. Often referred to as one of the best senior independent living communities in the area, we offer a wide range of services to serve a variety of resident needs. The services within our senior independent living communities include restorative care, rehabilitation, personal care and assisted living, memory support and independent living. If you or a loved one are beginning the retirement planning journey and would like more information about our senior independent living communities, please contact us today. Our co-workers can provide details on the services we offer, help you to schedule a tour of our senior independent living communities and answer any other questions you might have.
Country Meadows
