Meadowood Blog

If you Google “stress” you will instantly see millions of articles, tips and horror stories about stress. We all have stress, some more than others. Depending on your age it could be stress about final exams, child-rearing, career and eventually caring for a spouse or partner. Caregiver Burnout I’d like to focus on the latter, which is called “caregiver stress” or “caregiver burnout.” As couples age, one half of the couple tends to need care or help first, which means the “well” spouse becomes the caregiver. This also means the […]

The Research When you embark on a search for a Life Plan Community (formerly Continuing Care Retirement Community), you quickly discover that communities have many similarities. You compare the brochures and notice that most communities have a fitness program, dining program, different floor plan options and a social calendar. You are armed with your questions and ready to start visiting. Your “top ten” questions may include pricing, floor plan sizes and layouts, future care, services and amenities and the types of social opportunities available. The Visit Once you set foot […]

Well, by now we all know that the groundhog has declared we will have an early spring. The snow is melting and you can almost feel spring in the air. This is usually the time when people start the annual ritual of “spring cleaning.” Time to throw out the old, or clean it up! It is also a perfect opportunity to throw out what you aren’t using and what you don’t need. Below are great tips to get started on your spring cleaning/downsizing journey:   The hanger trick. Most people hang […]

One of the most popular reasons people give when delaying a move to a Life Plan Community is: “I’m not ready…yet.” We often challenge people, in a friendly way, to define what that means. What aren’t you ready for? Or how will you know when you are ready? We know, many times, the real concern is the daunting task of downsizing and leaving their lifetime home of many years. This past weekend, the northeast was pummeled with snow – some areas had nearly three feet! As of Monday morning, many […]

We never thought the day would come…but “Big L”, our beloved chef and “Master of the Meadowood Chowderfest” has retired. When people visit Meadowood, the feedback is instant. Our community is described as warm and friendly. The residents and staff are like a family and that is evident when you walk around the campus. One of our special staff members, Lawrence “Big L” Bloomfield, retired last month and will be greatly missed by everyone. The following was an article written by Gareth Williams, former Dining Director at Meadowood, about Big L […]

The Boomers are coming, the Boomers are coming! At last week’s annual LeadingAge conference, the Boomers were a common theme. LeadingAge is the national organization for not-for-profit organizations representing the entire field of aging services. You can read more about the great work that LeadingAge does here. This annual conference is a chance for thousands of people to gather, exchange ideas, learn, collaborate and celebrate the great work we do every day. This diverse group represents CEO’s and other team members at senior living communities, LeadingAge staff members as well as residents of communities throughout the country. […]

Busy! That’s how to describe the typical day of Dian Nolan’s life at Meadowood. Dian moved to Meadowood four years ago and hasn’t slowed down! Always an active person, Dian starts her day early, often playing tennis, volunteering, making ceramics, beading, having fun in aerobics classes, enjoying wellness walks at local parks and usually the day ends with square dancing or bocce! Not everyone is as busy as Dian, and that’s ok. You can do as little or as much as you want. A few months ago we discussed wellness, and […]

Jackie Delaney, a long-term Meadowood employee, shares the story of her passion for people and how that translates to her work at Meadowood. I have been an employee here at Meadowood since 2002. I was 16 years old when I started as a dining aide in the Health Center, which included Laurel House (personal care), Holly House (skilled nursing) and Azalea House (memory care). As time went by, my love for speaking to people and getting to know their life stories grew. My enthusiasm did go unnoticed as I was approached by a manager who thought that I would be a […]

                Hubie Bishop, one of Meadowood’s more adventurous travelers, enjoyed her seventh African safari this past spring. Hubie travelled with the Overseas Adventure Travel company, who specialize in smaller groups to exotic locations. Hubie has travelled all over the world, many times with her daughter, daughter-in-law and grandchildren. Out of the 49 countries she’s visited, a few stand out as her favorites. Switzerland, because her mother was born there and the flowers and mountains are beautiful. Costa Rica, mainly because the guide did such a wonderful job in making sure they […]