02-22-2023 Primetime Living - Flipbook - Page 20
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A Special Advertising Section of Baltimore Sun Media Group | Wednesday, February 22, 2023
COMMUNITY
Our aging life
Aging in place comfortably
with assistance
By Margit B. Weisgal, Contributing Writer
I
nvariably, there comes a time when we take a good look at where we currently live. says. “A lot of the activities fit many of the
We look at what we’ve accumulated, the space we currently have and our health. It
occurs to us that living on one floor is preferable, that we don’t need much of what
we own, and it’s time to gaze into a crystal ball and make a few plans about what we
may need in the future.
Glen Meadows Retirement Community
One option is a continuing care retirement
community (CCRC) like Glen Meadows in Glen
Arm, Maryland. Tucked away on a rural road
with 480 acres to explore and less than 10
miles from Baltimore, it lets you age in place
comfortably. “All of our senior living services
are available as you need them – whether it’s
our Independent Living, At-Home Services for
in home support, Assisted Living, or Skilled
Nursing and Rehabilitation,” according to its
website.
“There are a variety of living options,” says
Gretchen Haas, director of community life at
Glen Meadows. “We have patio homes, cottages and apartments in the Manor House,
the main building. Many of our residents don’t
go through the continuum. It’s based on their
needs. As residents need more and more help,
it’s available either in their residence or they
can be transferred to our skilled nursing facility
for rehabilitation, physical, and occupational
therapy, both short and long term.”
Glen Meadows is part of Presbyterian
Senior Living (PSL), a more than 90-year-old
not-for-profit organization with 30 locations
around the mid-Atlantic region. “The only
entrance requirement,” Haas explains, “is to
be over 60 years old. We have people from all
denominations.
“Campus-wide, Glen Meadows has around
300 residents, a good size for a community,”
Haas says. “We get to know their families and
their grandchildren, so it’s like a big family. And
we do all we can to keep them happy, healthy,
and involved in life.”
To that end, PSL and those who live in its
locations have developed a program called
Thrive Wellness. Its six dimensions of wellness
are: physical, vocational, social, intellectual,
spiritual and emotional. The program promotes
a philosophy of engagement, purposeful living
and meaning in everyday life. “Each community has a way of making it their own,” Haas
categories, overlap, but it’s all about overall
wellbeing and purposeful living.”
Haas describes what each of the six
dimensions is like in practice.
• Intellectual: “The mind is the first dimension.
Our residents recently embraced new technology and a new platform called Connected
Living. It’s a site for them and their families.
There they can observe meals, activities
and photos of events so their families can
see the residents having a good time. They
had a writing contest, turned it into a book,
and published it, and it’s now available on
Amazon. One resident on campus is writing
her memoirs. We also have lots of retired
teachers. There’s also one gentleman who
has published 10-12 books. We have two
on-campus publications, one the residents
create and publish themselves each month
and a second, a news update of what’s
happening on campus, that is reviewed and
edited weekly by one of the residents.”
• Physical: “Our fitness director, Richard
Rodriguez, oversees classes and any resident can work with him one-on-one to reach
personal goals. The Fitness Center is open
24 hours so residents can exercise at their
own pace. Rich offers multiple exercise
programs in varying degrees of difficulty. The
programs range from Sit & Fit, focusing on
range of motion, to Total Body, a more challenging exercise class. We also have Chair
Yoga, which can encompass the Spiritual
Dimension as residents focus on mindfulness. One of my favorite classes is the Drum
Circle. Working with real drums, we form a
circle on the floor and move our bodies and
appendages, so we get a great workout.”
• Social: “Yes, we have mix and mingle events
with families and staff. We also have our
own nature pre-school in partnership with
the Eastern Region Association Forest and
Nature School (https://erafans.wildapricot.
org). It has its own teachers, supplies, and
programs. Glen Meadows supplies a space
on campus that they use to provide nature
education. Our residents join in on walks
and crafts projects, they read to the kids,
and reminisce about their pasts. It also gets
everyone outside when the weather is good.”
• Vocational: “People need a reason to get out
of bed so, here, the residents give back by
volunteering on and off campus. They have
a community store, gardens they plan and
maintain to keep the campus looking nice,
and a knitting group that provides items
for the NICU at the local hospital. Some
volunteers help with those in assisted living and run drives – food, mittens, hats and
scarves – to help the local community and
local schools.”