The opening of the new Heritage Crossing Assisted Living & Memory Care brings a wildly successful approach to aging to the forefront
By Patricia Nugent
Fairlawn’s newest senior living campus, Heritage Crossing Assisted Living and Memory Care, provides a homey place where folks can live their most vibrant, thoughtful and engaged life.
A welcoming rustic farmhouse motif runs from the charming white clapboard exterior to the inviting interior décor, which features sliding barn doors, stone walls, wrought-iron fixtures and a soothing palette of pale grays, yellow and white.
Within 98 spacious studio, one- and two-bedroom suites, people can keep to themselves if they like, or pop out to socialize in the bistro, library, theater or dining room, which specializes in restaurant-quality dining and features an elegant grand player piano that plays during the dinner hour. A well-appointed game room hosts putting contests and mini-bowling. For safety, each resident wears an emergency call pendant.
Luxurious Amenities Abound
Open and airy gathering spaces are dotted throughout the Heritage Crossing community. Garden views of the charming courtyard give glimpse to cozy seating and lush, member-cultivated gardens that produce the bountiful yield used in the fabulous chef-prepared fare.
The host of amenities includes:
- Beauty salon and barber shop
- Theater and wellness clinic
- Art studio
- On-site rehabilitation and physical therapy
- Medication assistance, if needed, and 24-hour staff
- Transportation to social activities, errands and doctor appointments
- Housekeeping and linen services, including daily bed-making and trash removal
- Special interest clubs, group classes and educational programs to keep seniors active and involved
Memory Care lies in a secure area adjacent to assisted living and features 34 units and its own enclosed courtyard, as well as varying lifestyle stations to help people deal with wherever they are in their journey with dementia. For a year-round outdoorsy feeling, the unit includes a rustic wood gazebo gathering area indoors.
“We make it a point to find out about our residents’ life stories so we can help them navigate more effectively,” says Community Relations Director Shelly Septer, RN.
“For instance, a former resident named Tammy was a secretary and could still type, so we set up a little office-like area for her, complete with an old typewriter. We’d tell her we needed a report typed up and she would be happy to do so. Oftentimes extra attention spent to help people manage their behavior helps us avoid medication, which is how we prefer it.”
Other lifestyle stations range from tools for the gentlemen or a changing station with dolls and baby clothes for moms who are more relaxed performing tasks they fondly remember.
According to Kevin Carlin, who is chief of sales for Meridian Senior Living Communities, which manages the facility, “When someone moves in, we find out their life story, delving into their past, even finding out who their parents were. And we use that to cater their experience in a meaningful way.”
He says that as a result of the highly customized level of care, no two residents will have the same day.
Dedicated to Fabulous Fare
“For seniors and dementia patients, proper nutrition is a key consideration to how well they thrive,” says Shelly. “Our chef, Amy, prepares nearly everything from scratch, from sauces to soups, and the nutrient-dense meals are amazing.”
In addition to the food itself, how and how often it’s served get attention here, too.
Shelly reports they only use color-contrasting tableware in red, which research has shown increases appetite, and yellow to allow residents to get a better view of their food, and they put fruit in the water so they can see it even though their depth perception may be impaired.
“With the snacks that pack program, we have ready-prepared, brain-healthy snacks so our residents can have them anytime,” she adds.
The bistro upstairs features a full gourmet kitchen and demo area surrounding it for folks to enjoy and take part in cooking demonstrations. On any given day—like the day captured in the photos here during the making of mocha cappuccino muffins for the Wadsworth Old Fashioned Days Cupcake War contest—residents are front and center for all the action.
“Food plays a part in most of our activities,” explains Shelly. “For instance, we just threw a Luau Party for the community that featured different types of kabobs. And each member of the management team takes a dining activity and makes it theirs to run. Recently we enjoyed dogs and brats on National Hot Dog Day.”
Staff and residents come together on spontaneous issues, too. Everything is an opportunity for involvement. She reports that with their soaring floor to ceiling windows overlooking a courtyard, some birds accidentally fly into the glass.
“We created a campaign for our residents called #savethebirds,” she says. “We made an art project out of painting part of the windows to look like stained glass to act as a preventive for wayward-flying birds. Luckily, it worked, and our windows are beautiful.”
Jam-Packed Event Calendar
“Our residents enjoy engaging with the community, and they love a good party,” says Shelly.
To that end, each month they throw events that folks from around the area can play a part in. “My whole team is always on board when it comes to events,” says Shelly. “As soon as someone comes up with an idea, other people chime in and work together to make it fun.”
On Saturday, August 24, don’t miss the Dog Show from 2 to 5 p.m. Enter your favorite four-legged friend to vie for special prizes: most obedient, cutest and most unique dog. All proceeds will go to the local One of a Kind Pets rescue.
Most of their events have a charitable tie-in. For instance, on Saturday, September 28, they are throwing a Putt-Putt Tournament for beginners to top-notch players in the community to join in the fun.
“We’ll be setting up a course, with several holes,” she says. “All monies raised will go to the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo for National Elephant Day.”
Montessori Moments in Time
Taking a proactive approach to communicating with people with dementia, Heritage Crossing uses the Moments in Time Program, which was developed through extensive research and firsthand experience with residents throughout the years.
“We use validation to restore people’s dignity and feelings of self-worth,” she says. “We step into their world to feel what they feel. The more we can find out about them, the better we can connect with them. We strive every day to integrate purposeful and meaningful moments into the lives of our memory care residents.”
The program is based on five directional paths:
- Family Connections—focuses on the well-being of families through social gatherings and support.
- Health and Wellness—Person-centered care that supports the whole person with satisfying experiences that encourage independence and positive behavior.
- Dining Experience—Meals and snacks six times a day to reminisce, create new memories and promote socializing.
- Life Engagement—planning programs that engage the whole person and allow those who are cognitively impaired to function at their highest potential, giving them a sense of purpose and overall well-being.
- Team Purpose—making sure care partners are educated via ongoing training.
“I feel there is a bit of a stigma when it comes to senior living,” says Kevin.
“Some people think it is a slow, sad ending place. That’s the opposite of the experience at Heritage Crossing, where residents learn new things, discover new skills and continually expand their horizons.”
Heritage Crossing Assisted Living and Memory Care is a Meridian Senior Living Community centrally located at 251 N. Cleveland Massillon Road in Fairlawn. Small pets are allowed. Respite care is available for up to 60 days. Take a tour and lunch is on them. Call 330-510-3110 for more information or visit HeritageCrossingSenior.com. Also visit their Facebook page to get a feel for the progressive nature of this nurturing community.