Meadowood Blog

Mother Nature is offering up some of her most awesome gifts right now in the form of… food! Those who know me, know I am somewhat obsessed with food–especially fruits and vegetables. And most especially the ones I get at a certain farm stand nearby. Each spring when the farm stand opens for the season, I pop a bottle of champagne and set off some fireworks. And every autumn when it closes, I go into a week of mourning, closing the blinds so I can weep in private. (Alright, I […]

Making significant changes like retirement or becoming an empty nester and thinking about the next stage of life may seem daunting. Still, you can maintain your independence and keep getting what you want out of life with a bit of proactive planning. There are many perks about getting older to enjoy, like more free time to pursue hobbies, do the work you’ve always wanted to do, make new friends, spend time with family, or all of the above. We recommend three strategies for preparing yourself now for an exciting and […]

One of the first people you meet when you arrive at Meadowood is Kristin Gartner, Lead Community Service Associate. While you may recognize the friendly face sitting behind the welcome desk of our Schultz Community Center (she knows yours!), read on to learn more about Kristin’s heart and passion for working at Meadowood. Always on the Front Lines In 2019, Kristin started her career at Meadowood at the prompting of a friend who also worked here. While this is her first role in senior living, she has always worked with […]

We’ve dedicated a lot of time in the Fitness and Wellness Department coming up with programs that address the Six Dimensions of Wellness (Physical, Emotional, Social, Spiritual, Vocational, and Intellectual). If you haven’t read the other Fitness and Wellness blog posts, you might want to do that because I talk about the dimensions a lot. I mean, A LOT. It’s an important part of our mission here at Meadowood. Honestly, we feel pretty good about our programming for our Six Dimensions. We even won a fancy schmancy award—the Beacon Award– […]

What Is The Best Age To Move Into A Retirement Community? When you think of a senior living or retirement community, you may assume it’s a place strictly for the most mature ages or people with health problems that prevent them from living independently. Fortunately, these stereotypes are falling by the wayside as more dynamic and lively life plan communities arise — like Meadowood. Communities like Meadowood offer a completely different style of living than what you may think: Total independence Beautiful gardens Dining areas that feel more like restaurants […]

Our newest Fitness and Wellness team member is arguably the most adorable employee Meadowood has ever had. In just two weeks he has wagged, romped, and cuddled his way into the hearts of everyone he’s met. But don’t let the fact that he’s cute fool you. He’s here to do a job. Beacon, named in honor of the Beacon Award we received from the International Council of Active Aging last year, was bred to be a working dog. And although he will have to go through an entire year of […]

Confession time: I am a winter girl. Whenever I tell people I love the snow, they groan. When I tell them I thrive in the cold, they shake their heads in disbelief. When I tell them I could happily live in a yurt on the tundra somewhere, they tell me I’m crazy. I can’t help it. It’s in my DNA. I grew up in the mountains, where snow was celebrated. It meant ski season, snowmobiling, tobogganing, ice skating, and gallons of hot chocolate. My dad once built an igloo down […]

In June of 2021, Meadowood held a groundbreaking ceremony to expand their memory care home. The center was designed to incorporate input from both residents and staff, and is on schedule to open in August of 2022. According to The Alzheimer’s Association, 6.5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease. This number is projected to rise to nearly 13 million by 2050. The need for safe yet fulfilling living arrangements is growing each year, and Meadowood is committed to providing people living with dementia an experience that honors their need for […]

I’ve been working on this blog entry for a while because, of all the dimensions of wellness, the Intellectual Dimension is the most difficult to define. Our model’s definition says:“The intellectual dimension recognizes one’s creative, stimulating mental activities. A well person expands his or her knowledge and skills while discovering the potential for sharing his or her gifts with others.” What, then, are stimulating mental activities? The dictionary defines intellect as “the capacity for rational or intelligent thought especially when highly developed.” Okay, then. What is intelligent thought? You get […]