What factors should you compare when evaluating which retirement community to choose? How should you go about downsizing? Consult these articles to get answers to your most pressing questions about transitioning into a retirement community.

A Road Map to Recovery

Pine Run Therapy & Rehabilitation

“We’re going on a cruise in August and I’m determined not to bring my electric scooter,” says Irv Thompson, a Pine Run Villager, one week after total knee replacement surgery. Thompson is currently doing intensive physical therapy three days a week in his home to regain strength and balance. His motivation in therapy is “to be in less pain, to walk again without having to worry, and to be the best that I can be.”

Pine Run Retirement Community is focused on maximizing wellness for all of our residents. The Pine Run Rehabilitation Services Department, made up of a multidisciplinary team of physical, occupational, and speech therapists specifically trained in senior wellness, is dedicated to restoring, maintaining, and promoting not only optimal physical function but optimal wellness and fitness and quality of life as it relates to movement and health. Whether residing in Pine Run’s independent living cottages or apartments, our personal care residence, skilled nursing for a rehabilitation stay or long term care, or our memory care facility, all residents can benefit from the therapies offered.

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Healthy Living at Pine Run

More than senior fitness classes or activities, wellness is a way of life at Pine Run.

“We are committed to helping all of our residents to not just live longer but to live better,” said Maria Santangelo, Pine Run Executive Director. “Guided by the seven dimensions of wellness — Physical Wellness, Emotional Wellness, Intellectual Wellness, Spiritual Wellness, Environmental Wellness, Social Wellness, and Occupational Wellness — Pine Run seeks to offer residents a balanced lifestyle with a focused approach to physical health and exercise. We know that there is a significant connection between mind and body and Healthy Living at Pine Run encourages, challenges, and engages our residents so that they can live their best lives.”

The Pine Run Healthy Living team offers an impressive array of events, activities and senior fitness classes. There are over 20 classes each week, many of which are also available on the in-house TV channel for those who prefer to participate from home. Classes are focused on exercise as well as mindfulness and stress-reduction. Personalized fitness plans are developed and tracked for those who are interested, and wellness literature on a variety of topics is available including topics like breath work, enhancing immune response, and many others. With over 61% of residents participating in at least one option, Healthy Living has become a part of daily life for many at Pine Run.

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Love in The Garden

Kathy and Peter Achorn in their Pine Run Cottage

Deciding to place a beloved spouse or partner in a secure memory care facility ranks among the toughest decisions one will ever have to make.

Peter Achorn found that out firsthand when he had to consider a secure memory care facility when his wife Kathy began exhibiting symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease .

Kathy and Peter Achorn in their cottage before her move to secure memory care — Kathy and Peter Achorn in their Pine Run cottage.

Married since 1969, the couple had been inseparable for decades.

“We have no family around, so the two of us have been a nuclear family,” Peter explained one recent afternoon in the sun-filled cottage the couple had shared together at Pine Run Retirement Community. “When our parents were alive, we used to see people at Christmas or Thanksgiving. But my siblings and Kathy’s are all scattered now, so it is just the two of us.”

Being so close for so long, Peter and Kathy knew each other well – well enough to notice when something wasn’t quite right with the other person.

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Moving to a Retirement Community: The Pine Run Wait List and Making the Move

After the Tour – What’s Next?

A move to Pine Run Retirement Community in Doylestown PA almost always starts with a tour of the community and several visits to a variety of cottages and apartments. When individuals or couples are thinking of a move to a senior living community the topic of timing is an important consideration, along with the style of home you are interested in, community amenities, and cost.

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Important Safety Standards for Pennsylvania Personal Care Facilities

We trust the health, safety, and well-being of the people we love to personal care facilities, so safety standards are of the utmost importance. In Pennsylvania, a personal care facility must be registered and inspected by the state’s Department of Human Services, and all facilities must adhere to safety regulations in order to maintain their license.

When choosing a personal care facility for a loved one, it is imperative to understand how the home aligns with state standards for safety and wellness as well as any other standards of care the facility has in place to ensure your loved one enjoys a high quality of life.

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Selecting a Memory Care Facility – A Checklist

Selecting a memory care facility for a loved one affected by a memory-impairing illness such as Alzheimer’s disease or dementia can seem daunting. There is so much to consider. Knowing the right questions to ask memory care facilities can help families get started as they face this important decision.

Millions of Americans – in fact, a projected 13 million by 2025 – live every day with the effects of dementia, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. If you’ve noticed worrying signs of memory impairment in a loved one, you are not alone. Millions of families also are searching for the best memory care facility for their family members, and many of them feel lost and alone.

It doesn’t have to be that way, though. Knowing what questions to ask memory care facilities can turn an overwhelming task into a manageable one.

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Spring is in the Air and Our “New Normal” Takes Shape!

This Spring is a season of new beginnings, a season of hope, and a season of joy. With the COVID pandemic continuing to wane, life begins anew. We’re enjoying longer hours of daylight and the warmer temperatures. We’re meeting friends again, enjoying restaurants, our families, planning vacations, and adjusting to our “new normal.” Pine Run Villagers and Associates are excited by the possibilities! Villagers are hard at work once again booking trips to places as varied as the Barnes Museum and the Steel Stacks in Bethlehem. Movie night is back, Village Voices are singing, lifelong learning classes are underway, artists are gathering in the Craft Barn, dining options are expanding, Villagers are back to volunteering in the Health Center, Doylestown Hospital, and many other area nonprofits, and fitness programs are more popular than ever. For some of you it may be time to think about a move. We’ve received a lot of questions over the past several months about life at Pine Run during COVID. What happened? How did you keep your Villagers and residents safe but also keep their spirits up? Would I have benefitted by bring a part of this community during our darkest of lockdown days? And what is next?

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When is the Right Time to Make a Move into Personal Care?

Words of Wisdom from a Pine Run Lakeview Resident

Villager Ed Corini holds a photo of his wife at Pine Run Lakeview a personal care home — Villager Edmond Corini holds a picture of his wife at Pine Run Lakeview.

When Edmond Corini first entered Pine Run Lakeview, several years ago, it was to visit his wife Mary, who had moved to the personal care home in Bucks County PA, when she needed support and assistance with her daily tasks and activities. Over the months that Mary lived at Lakeview, Ed got to know the home and its staff members well and saw first-hand the attentive, compassionate care they delivered to every resident.

After Mary passed away in September 2017, Ed continued living in the cottage they had shared in The Village, Pine Run Retirement Community’s independent living neighborhood in Doylestown Township. They had moved to Pine Run in 2008, after Ed retired from life as a “corporate gypsy,” moving up and down the East Coast.

He enjoyed the company of his neighbors and the activities at The Hub, Pine Run’s sparkling new community center. But by 2021, Ed had suffered a stroke, and although he recovered fairly well, he did lose peripheral vision in one eye – and that changed everything.

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Personal Care Homes

Considering Personal Care Homes The kitchen table conversations of more and more American families are turning to the topic of personal care homes for a reason. More than 34 million Americans provide care for an adult age 50 or older each year, and those numbers are forecast to grow as both the population of Pennsylvania and of the entire United States continues to age. Most caregivers provide care in the home, but there often comes a time when living at home is no longer safe or feasible for an older adult.

Maybe mom needs constant reminders to take her medication. Maybe dad has lost a significant amount of weight because he forgets to eat or is not eating well-balanced meals. Maybe they have fallen and injured themselves, or no longer comb their hair. These can all be warning signs that a loved one needs more care and support to accomplish the tasks of daily living that were once routine and accomplished easily.

When that time comes, families and caregivers often begin investigating senior living options near them, including personal care homes and assisted living facilities.

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Moving to a Retirement Community: What to Expect

Moving to a “retirement community”, or an independent senior living community, also known as a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) or Life Plan community, can provide significant lifestyle and financial benefits for individuals and couples.

A retirement community provides low-maintenance living that allows for ease of travel and no worries about home or yard maintenance. With beautiful amenities, the move is very good for your social life with opportunities to dine, socialize, volunteer, and contribute to things that matter to you. Fitness and aquatics centers make wellness easy and accessible; on-site medical care make future transitions easier; and with a variety of price points and contract options, it may be more affordable then you think.

So you’re ready to investigate, but where do you start? Here is information on what to expect as you begin your research and planning for a move to Pine Run.

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