Meadowood Blog

August is National Wellness Month. This year, we’re celebrating a major component of the Meadowood lifestyle—the positive connection between nature and exercise. Here, on our sprawling, 131-acre campus campus, we frequently exercise in nature to promote the six dimensions of wellness. Studies have found that being in nature reduces anger, fear and depression; it also increases psychological well-being and happiness. Research has also found that exercise improves mental functioning while reducing stress and depression. Combining exercise and nature magnifies the benefits of both! In a Stanford-led study, published in Proceedings […]

Right now, “It’s 100 percent a seller’s real estate market,” says award-winning Coldwell Banker realtor Kim Gammon, who’s sharing her insights into the market with us. According to Kim, sales are hotter than they’ve been in years, and it’s a great time to sell your home. No one is more surprised about the market than Kim herself. “Who would have thought that, with everything that’s going on with COVID-19, this would happen?” she exclaims. “It’s the exact opposite of what you would expect!” Kim has had her real estate license […]

You may already know about the state-of-the-art gym, the two pools and the spectacular new fitness courtyard at Meadowood. But there are lesser-known spots on our sprawling 131-acre campus that truly make our community unique. Hugh Trumbull and his wife, Ann, have lived at Meadowood for six years and know many of the off-the-radar spots around campus. “This kind of thing brings Meadowood alive to us – people coming from the outside, they don’t always get to see those things,” Hugh says. Hugh, formerly in the military and in private […]

When you’re looking for a retirement residence, Meadowood has a lot of options to consider. Should you choose a courtyard home? A stand-alone carriage home? An apartment connected to the community center? Now there’s a new type of residence at Meadowood that offers unique advantages. It’s a 52-residence expansion called The Grove, and it’s especially appealing to people who love their house or cottage, but may not love the upkeep that goes along with it. Offering the maintenance-free living of an apartment with the space and privacy of a home, […]

With its sprawling 131-acre campus nestled in the heart of Montgomery County, Meadowood is convenient to many fascinating cultural attractions, historic sights, wineries and outdoor adventures. You’ll find plenty to see, do and experience with friends and family within a short drive of the campus. Due to restrictions in the area related to COVID-19, most of these places have either temporarily closed or limited operations for safety reasons. Fortunately, many have also incorporated virtual experiences into their offerings so that visitors can still enjoy them during the current situation. Here […]

In honor of National Pet Month, which celebrates the many benefits pet owners receive from their animals and vice versa, we talked to dog lover Connie Burnley. We wanted to know what it’s like for her to live at Meadowood with Romeo and Julie, her two Cairn Terriers (think Toto from “The Wizard of Oz”). Connie, her husband and their two pooches moved into the West Hill neighborhood in December. Romeo is a retired show dog who has competed at the Westminster Kennel Club and the Philadelphia Kennel Club shows. […]

National Nurses Week begins on May 6 and ends on May 12, Florence Nightingale’s birthday. If Meadowood Director of Nursing Catherine O’Gorman had her way, she would celebrate every day of the year. She would also tweak the name of the event slightly. “It’s ‘Nurses Week,’ but it should really be ‘Team Week’ to acknowledge nursing assistants and all of the other team members,” she says. “Everyone works so well together.” This week, Meadowood has a special celebration planned. “We’re going to recognize our nurses and invite everyone else in […]

The response was immediate and overwhelming. It began when restrictions were put in place to keep Meadowood safe during COVID-19. Executive Assistant to Meadowood President and CEO Paul Nordeman, Susan Hughes was inundated with offers of assistance. “A lot of residents stopped me and asked if they could help,” she says. So, Susan put a volunteer list out and saw it quickly fill up. She appointed two lead resident volunteers, Tom Lynch and Janet Kovacs, to assign residents to the jobs that needed to be done. Residents who raised their […]

An Interview with Meadowood’s Fitness & Wellness Director Becky Anhorn, Meadowood’s fitness & wellness director, sat down and shared her thoughts on how the team is finding creative ways to engage residents during the coronavirus crisis. How is Meadowood handling wellness differently than other communities right now? In talking to people from other senior communities, it seems that a lot of them just shut down the programs, and they’re just redistributing their staff to other areas of the community or focusing on the bare essentials. We aren’t going to do that. […]