Placing a Parent in a Memory Care Home: Making Peace with the Decision

One of the hardest decisions an adult child may face is the decision to place a parent in a memory care home – and the decision is made even more difficult when that parent has declared for years, in no uncertain terms, that they never want to go into a “nursing home.”

That was the situation Jennifer Carlin and her three sisters found themselves in as they considered a memory care home for their mother, matriarch Clare Carlin. It was becoming clear she could no longer could live alone in her cottage in Pine Run Retirement Community’s independent living neighborhood, The Village.

“Everything she did was always on her own timeframe,” Jennifer Carlin said recently. “When she made the move to the cottage at Pine Run, it was absolutely the right time to do it, and she was very happy there.”

Clare Carlin moved into The Village in 2017. Living at Pine Run in her retirement had been her goal since 1976 when she spotted new construction rising from a field on Ferry Road in Doylestown Township. The project that would become Pine Run Retirement Community was located a mere three miles from the Carlins’ farmhouse and 10-acre property on Callowhill Road.

“When Pine Run was being built, she always said that was where she was going to retire,” Jennifer recalled. “She’s a huge fan of Doylestown Hospital, and it was important to her to stay within that community. That was her goal, and so that’s what she did.”

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A retirement community with gardening – Pine Run’s ‘Back Ache-ers’ Grow Tomatoes and Happiness

For more than 75 years, Bob Long has tended to a garden. The size of the garden varied over the years, from his father’s family garden, to the garden he first planted with his wife, to the 40-foot by 80-foot garden they planted on their two-acre plot of land in Solebury Township, Bucks County. Regardless of the size, Long always had his hands in garden soil. For this reason, finding a retirement community with gardening options was at the top of his list.

When he moved to Pine Run Retirement Community in Central Bucks County in 2016, Long didn’t have to leave gardening behind. Back Ache-ers, Pine Run’s communal garden space, was filled with 30 wooden raised garden beds just waiting to be planted with everything from beans and basil to tomatoes and zinnias.

“As soon as I moved into Pine Run, I put my name on the waiting list for a box in Back Ache-ers. I had to wait a year, but I got it,” Long said. “I’ve always been an avid gardener. It’s just that now, my tractor has been replaced by a wheelbarrow.”

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Plant Based Entrees on the Menu this Season for an Outstanding Senior Living Dining Experience

“Dining at Pine Run is more than just a meal,” says Dave Fogel, Senior Director of Senior Living Dining Services at Pine Run Retirement Community. “It’s an experience,” continues Fogel. “We offer many different options to please any palate both in terms of venue and menu.”

As the winter weather begins to break and the beauty of our campus comes into bloom Pine Run residents look forward to the start of a new Spring/Summer seasonal menu featuring more of a focus on plant based selections. “We pay careful attention to what is trending both in senior living as well as in other areas of the culinary landscape and the demand and appetite for plant based entrees as well as sides is exploding,” says Fogel.

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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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