Plush Mills marks its 15th anniversary

Carolyn Hopson was one of the very first residents of Plush Mills, a luxury senior living community in Nether Providence, Delaware County, which is celebrating its 15th anniversary.

“In fact, they actually let me move in a little early because of the timing of the sale of my home,” she said.

With Plush Mills being so new, there were still a few wrinkles to iron out in her first few weeks.

“At a certain time each day, my teacups would start to rattle in their cabinet,” Hopson said, laughing. “I called the concierge and soon my living room was filled with friendly maintenance people and Plush Mills executives ready to solve the issue.

“It turns out that my apartment was right above the Fitness Center, and someone liked to take a daily jog on a treadmill. They moved the treadmill, put it on a special mat, and my teacups never rattled again. They were incredibly responsive and accommodating then and continue to be so now.”

Many residents of Plush Mills have similar stories about exceptionally quick and personalized service they’ve enjoyed at the community.

When Dorothy and Marv Gelb moved into the community 20 months ago, they brought along a valuable glass etching that was designed to be displayed in a niche in the wall.

“All we had to do was ask and the community sent in carpenters to create one for us,” Marv said.

“Whenever we have a request or need to make a change,” Dorothy said, “they say yes whenever they can and make it happen.”

Plush Mills prides itself on being the embodiment of SageLife’s “Living to the power of you” residentdriven philosophy.

“SageLife communities are unique in that we go where our residents lead us,” said the company’s founder and president, Kelly Andress.

“We offer 100% maintenance-free living with 24hour concierge service, round-the-clock support by on-site wellness staff in Personal Care, our Move for Life individualized ‘stay-active/stay-strong’ program, access to a consortium of healthcare partners, and a schedule full of enriching, engaging and fun programs,” said Plush Mills General Manager Tina Wilhelmsen. “Our programming is custom-tailored based on the preferences, interests, and abilities of our residents.

“ln fact, Marv is a pianist, and he often practices and performs in our lobby.”

“I’ve given nine concerts — mostly featuring the Great American Songbook,” he said. “We do some singalongs, too. It’s fun.”

More than 100 people attended his most recent performance.

“After 15 years, we’ve matured as a community,” Wilhelmsen said. “We have some associates that have been with us the entire time, and our turnover is very low. That continuity allows our service to grow and deepen.”

Plush Mills has also added a home care service, which allows residents to live as independently as possible and, when personal care services are needed, the community offers fullsize apartments or studios from which to choose.

“Our care continuum has so much flexibility to meet our residents’ changing needs as they age in place,”

Wilhelmsen said. “At the same time, we’re always changing our programming as we cater to our residents’ needs and desires.”

Another way that Plush Mills keeps its offerings exciting and fresh is by building its schedule around a monthly theme.

In May, several events and opportunities celebrated horses, including a Kentucky Derby party, a community service project quilting blankets for local horses and a trip to volunteer at, and attend, the

Devon Horse Show.

This combination of attention to detail, quality service and innovation has given the community excellent word-of-mouth and has even attracted a second generation of interest.

“We’ve started to hear from some the adult children of our first residents about possibly living here,” Wilhelmsen said.

“We feel listened to and cared about every second of the day,” Dorothy Gelb said. “That’s priceless. That means everything from the bigger things to making sure our food and drinks are prepared just how we like them.”

To ensure that dining at Plush Mills remains topnotch and tailored to its residents’ palates, Dining Director Frank DeBenedetto meets with residents regularly to talk about what they love, what they like and what they’d like to see change.

“The food’s exceptional and servers are wonderful here, too,” Marv Gelb said. “We’ve been here for over a year and a half, and we haven’t turned on the stove once.”

“I do use my oven — I like to bake,” Hopson said. “But that’s just another example of how the community works well for different types of people.”