Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Heritage of Green Hills residents take a trip back in time
The calendar may have said January 2021, but for the residents of the personal and memory care neighborhood at the Heritage of Green Hills, a healthy life plan community in Cumru Township, Berks County, it was the 1940s all month long.
“Every month, we base many of our group activities on a central theme,” explained Heritage’s Arts and Entertainment Coordinator, Heather Setley. “Throughout January, we looked back at that richly historical time when many of our residents were children.”
Through crafts, games and fun discussions, the residents explored the decade’s fashions, trends, famous boxers, architecture and other topics, often while listening to music from the period.
“Most of our programming has a musical component,” Setley said. “We can access memories of the songs we grew up with, tapping our feet and singing along, even when there’s a level of dementia.”
Setley, a certified activities director, brings more than 20 years of experience in elder care to her work at the Heritage.
Engaging all the senses is important to Setley, too.
“We held a tasting of retro candies that were around then, like York Peppermint Patties and Almond Joys,” Setley said.
Of course, residents are kept up to date on today’s headlines, too.
“Every morning, we gather together to talk about the news headlines, with a strong focus on the positive,” she said. “And we
did take a break from the 1940s on Dr. King’s birthday to talk about his legacy and read the historic ‘Letter from Birmingham Jail.’”
The personal and memory care neighborhood offers its residents a variety of different things to do every day no matter the month’s theme, including daily gentle exercise classes and clubs. Simple cooking classes, parties, games, movies, sing-a-longs and art activities are all regularly offered. Eagles and Phillies
games on the big screen are always a big hit, too.
“Getting out is important, too,” Setley said. “We take a weekly scenic drive for a change of pace and explore the area. Sometimes we’ll go to a nature-filled setting, while other times we’ll head out to someone’s old neighborhood. Our bus driver is retired from PennDot — he knows all the routes, he can’t get lost, and he takes requests.”
Self-determination is an important part of life for
residents in the personal and memory care neighborhood at the Heritage.
“We always leave it up to
our residents as to whether they want to join us for any activity,” Setley said. “If they prefer to be alone, we’ll
The Residence at Glen Riddle
(855) 958-4467 glenriddleseniorliving.com
check in on them, and offer them materials for self-directed activities, like yarn for knitting, reading materials and art supplies. But our residents are adults. The choice is theirs.”
Setley gets to know each resident and their family as they move in as part of a formal assessment. One such assessment led to the weekly livestreaming of services, allowing a resident couple to worship with the congregation of their home church.
“We work hard to meet each of our residents’ emotional and social needs and preferences,” explained Melissa Oley, the community’s marketing and admissions liaison. “We respect their individuality.”