10-12-2022 PTL - Flipbook - Page 10
10 A Special Advertising Section of Baltimore Sun Media Group | Wednesday, October 12, 2022
CCRCs welcome, continued
from page 8
world affairs” created by the Foreign Policy
Association. Residents also present lectures
or give classes on their areas of expertise.
“One of my favorite things is the
Community Table,” Glaeser says. “Anyone
can sit there, so instead of dining by yourself, you can just join in. And if someone is
absent, they’ll check on you, bring you dinner if you don’t feel well, or just stay in touch
so you don’t feel alone.
Snyder adds, “Communication is important, especially when you’re aging. Everyone
here makes sure a person is not isolated
or lonely. They also know that their future
needs are taken care of, so there’s a sense
of ‘We’re all in this together.’ It’s warming to
see this in action.”
The Village at Augsburg
thevillageataugsburg.org
Located inside the Baltimore Beltway
between Liberty Road and Reisterstown
Road, The Village at Augsburg is part of
National Lutheran Communities & Services
(NLCS), a not-for-profit organization that
has provided services for older adults for
over 130 years. Previously, Augsburg was an
orphanage and an old age home (as it used
to be called). Today it houses a vibrant community of older adults.
Its website promotes its diversity. “We
believe retirement is an exciting new chapter in your life, and you should be able to
embrace who you are, find joy every day and
make meaningful connections with those
around you. We strive to foster an environment where every neighbor is a friend, and
every day is a treasure.”
Suzanne Roos spoke about what makes
The Village at Augsburg unique. “We were
founded as a Lutheran community, but we
have and welcome all faiths here. We’re
probably one of more diverse places in the
area. It reminds residents and prospective
residents of a real neighborhood. That’s one
of the big things that draws people here.
“Our population is a reflection of a real
community. We have a lot of retired educators, former government employees and
former military. Many of them grew up in this
neighborhood, so they move here because
they know the area well and their houses of
worship, their doctors, and favorite places
to shop are close by. We’re a moderately
priced fee-for-service community, and you
don’t need to have a couple million dollars
to live here.”
The Village at Augsburg has around 350
residents. In addition to independent living,
it has assisted living, 13 new private rooms
for memory care, on-site rehabilitation and a
long-term care neighborhood.
Visitors would tell Roos they wanted
some diversity, to live in a place where there
are all kinds of people. They’d say, “This
looks like our neighborhood,” and decide
this is the place for them.
Roos says, “They come here because
they want to build meaningful relationships
and are welcomed as a unique person. I got
that same feeling when I first started. My
reaction was ‘This feels right to me. These
are my people.’ I call it the Augsburg Spirit.”
Roos finds that the residents really care
about each other and look out for one another. If someone doesn’t come to dinner, they’ll
ask. “You can still be a private person but it’s
small enough here that we know everyone.”
There are so many choices for people
when they retire. “That’s when you see
what’s important to them,” Roos explains.
“If you want to make a personal connection
with those around you, this is a good choice.
We do have a faith-based atmosphere –
Lutheran, Baptist, Methodist, Catholic,
Jewish, Episcopal, Quaker – it really is a
blend of people with mutual respect for what
each one brings to the community. Most
were professionals, and they feel blessed
every day. It’s an incredibly peaceful way
to live, something you don’t see in a lot of
places.”
Fairhaven and Buckingham’s Choice
are part of Acts Retirement-Life Communities
(www.actsretirement.org). It has 26 independent living locations in nine states, from
Pennsylvania to Florida.
Acts Retirement-Life Communities offer
Type A contracts, an all-inclusive option
that “covers the cost of your residence and
the services, amenities, and much of the
health care you receive – now and in the
future. It typically requires a higher entrance
fee and monthly fees than those offered
with fee-for-service contracts for the same
size independent living residence; however,
resident’s nest eggs are protected against
inflation. Acts also provides support to those
residents who outlive their financial resources through no fault of their own through its
Samaritan Fund,” according to its website.
Fairhaven and Buckingham’s Choice
support Acts’ Vision: “Where loving-kind-
ness and Christian ideals are practiced to
meet the needs of those we serve.” All
denominations and faiths are welcome, and
there is a full-time chaplain on campuses.
They have independent living, assisted living, short term rehab and long-term care.
Fairhaven
Fairhaven is located in Sykesville,
Maryland, about 35 minutes from either
Baltimore or Frederick with easy access to
Eldersburg and Howard County.
“We’ve had three generations of families
here, and residents refer friends and family
members to live here,” says Janine Hume,
Sales Manager. “We have just under 300
Independent Living residents, ages 62 and
up, on 300 acres that include natural trails.
We also have shuttles to Sykesville where
residents can visit boutiques, go shopping
or dine at local restaurants. We partner
with the city, and our residents do a lot of
volunteer work from growing fresh produce
for the local food bank, tutoring and knitting
hats and gloves for students during winter
months.”
Hume works with the team at Fairhaven
to make new residents feel welcome. “Once
they make a decision to move to our campus, we send them videos of various residents to introduce and welcome them. Then
when they move here, they see familiar
faces; it makes it easy to connect. We also
have a future resident club, so members can
come to the campus and participate in activities here while they are making a decision.
When they move in, members of our resident
association welcome them, introduce them
to activities, and do an orientation with others who moved in around the same time.
They also host a new resident luncheon.”
Over 70 different clubs or groups are
active at Fairhaven, so you can be as active
as you want. It also has a connection with
Carroll Community College, so if someone
wants to take classes, it’s easy, fun and
educational. Lots of residents volunteer to
mentor and work with local students.
“What’s special,” Hume says, “is how
neighbors look out for each other and build
friendships. Residents have met new friends
on campus and have even traveled together.
And although we have our own systems in
place to ensure everyone is safe, our residents also check in on their friends as well.
We are one big family.”
Buckingham’s Choice
Located in Adamstown, Maryland, just
17 minutes south of Frederick and an hour
from Baltimore, Buckingham’s Choice sits
on 42 scenic acres. It has a combined
population of 282 in all three levels of care:
independent living (IL), assisted living (AL),
and health care.
Dawn Beall, Life Engagement Director,
describes how the whole community engages and involves new residents. “We have
three types of people who move here. Some
have friends already living at Buckingham’s
Choice, so they feel comfortable immediately. Some have family in the area. The
last group did research and chose us. For
any new resident, I’ll meet with them and
help get them acclimated, comfortable and
involved. Our resident welcoming committee will invite them to dinner and help them
find activities that interest them. They do a
phenomenal job, and it is pretty amazing to
watch.”
All activities (which they call ‘opportunities’) are resident driven – and there are over
70 options. The odds are good they will find
at least one opportunity – if not more – that
they will enjoy and get them connected.
Beall’s job is to support these resident driven
opportunities she and assists in keeping the
residents engaged.
When new people move in, current residents will reach out, offering the opportunity
to try something new and invite them to join
in and check it out. The goal is to get everyone out of their residence. Everyone understands that socialization is the key to staying
mentally and physically healthy, which we all
need it no matter what our age, so opportunities will help with your mind, body and
soul. There’s always someone who will pull
you out of yourself. “Our resident welcome
committee and I work collaboratively to offer
opportunities that will help new residents
engage and socialize,” Beall adds.
“What I find most fascinating is how the
Independent Living residents get those living
in other levels of care to continue participating,” Beall says. “The opportunity is there for
them to go on trips and engage in campus
opportunities which allows them to remain
active. We also have a unique volunteer
program called ‘Fade the Lines,’ which recognizes the need to support all residents in
CCRCs welcome,
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