About The Heron House
The thing about The Heron House is that we're a home.
Home is not a place, it's a feeling.
The Heron House is family owned and operated. Everything we do here is anchored in the belief that our elders are the wisest, most valuable among us and are owed nothing less than the compassion, dignity and respect that we honor them with at The Heron House. We strive to know each person and understand the life they led before joining us so that we can truly connect, provide comfort, and best tailor their care to their needs.
The Home
Our home was designed mindfully with a layout that is comfortable and home-like. The Heron House features relaxed and accessible common areas that are clean, welcoming and plentiful. Here you’ll find an inviting sitting room, a comfortable family room and enjoy all of the activities we offer in our cozy sun room. The kitchen and dining room are intentionally positioned in the center of the home with ample space for a shared homelike dining experience. There are four wings (north, south, east and west) divided into 23 private bedrooms, each with a half bath. There are spacious common shower rooms on each wing. For those who enjoy time outdoors, there are two large decks attached to our home, one wrapped safely in the center of the home encouraging oversight from the inside.
The Care
All of our amenities are carefully geared toward helping the people we care for enjoy a life that maintains their independence and individuality while providing companionship and new opportunities.
You’ll enjoy the comforts of home teamed with a sense of community. We know there’s no place like home but we strive to help you live your best life at The Heron House. We offer:
24/7 care support
Home cooked meals
Medication and treatment management
Memory care
Daily social programs
Daily housekeeping
Laundry services
Household maintenance
In-home physician services
In-home rehab services
On-site beauty salon
Purpose
It's not always easy getting old.
Some people experience energy loss, or maybe their eyesight and hearing start to fade. Their skin can get dry and frail, their appetites dwindle and their bodies often ache. Many people need more help and oftentimes don't like having to depend on others. As a result, it can become commonplace to resort to isolation because the ailments become more than they feel like facing. At The Heron House, we recognize these commonalities and tendencies and we are prepared for them. We help our housemates to find purpose in a world that sometimes feels a little discouraging. We understand the need to feel needed and wanted and so we help our housemates fulfill the basic human need to have purpose. Seemingly simple things like picking out their own clothes, stepping outside to take a walk and get some fresh air, delivering the newspapers, feeding the dog, helping to fold a load of towels, lending their insight to our upcoming meal and activity menus, "babysitting"- the sky is the limit! Our goal is providing an essential feeling of purpose and autonomy so that every person who lives with us is TRULY living to their fullest potential. When a person has purpose, they thrive, and we’ll continue to foster an environment where that’s our normal.
Dignity
Being mindful of someone's dignity when they don't have the ability to do so on their own anymore is vital. We respect privacy. We engage with our housemates as equals, because they are. We ask our housemates for feedback. We do tasks with, not for. We interact meaningfully. We remember that no means no. We don’t argue. We share information. We make sure our housemates are provided with a level of care that honors their dignity. So even on their worst days, they can still look and feel their best- the way they would if they could do everything on their own, the way they like it. Just as we’d do for our own grandparents.
There’s something special about the way our eldest generation values looking presentable and being independent whenever possible. So we’re mindful of that and truly honor that history and level of distinguishment that sets their generation apart.
Memory Care
Most people dismiss “dementia” as just “being confused”. But it’s so much more than that. Dementia means things that used to be so familiar now being scary. Dementia means forgetting some of the best memories of your life and the people who matter to you most. Sometimes people don't know where they are or who they are. They feel permanently lost. They can become afraid of water therefore fearful of bathing, or forget how to pick up their silverware. Things as seemingly simple as drinking water when they’re thirsty or eating when they’re hungry can become difficult and require lots of coaching. They may become unaware of their toileting needs, unable to recognize their children.
At The Heron House we place emphasis on connecting with our housemates so that we can truly know them and how to help them best. Our understanding, empathy, patience and respect for each housemate’s history sheds a positive light on those with memory impairment.
Aging in Place
At The Heron House we support an aging in place model. This means that as our housemates’ needs increase, our level of support does, too, while our billing model is all inclusive and doesn’t change based on your level of care. We know how difficult it can be to make a move from a home that most have made a lifetime of memories in. That’s why when you make the decision to move into The Heron House, we want our housemates to rest assured that they’ll never have to move again so long as they’re happy. As your condition may progress, as your memory may ail you, and as you need more help, we’re here for you the whole way through. The Heron House really is your home.
End Of Life Care
We have a tendency to avoid death. Many of us don’t like to talk about death, or plan for it, or even meaningfully acknowledge it. Often, people find it inappropriate or are uncomfortable when death is discussed openly. Yet, death is inevitable. It’s a universal human experience we all share. Our nature as caregivers is to help make people better, to save them. And in some ways we do. But it’s really important to remind ourselves that we take care of elderly people and that they are generally people who have lived full, meaningful lives- the state we meet them is isn’t always a true representation of who they have always been. Sometimes, by the time they get to us, they’re tired. We respect that they may not want to go on in a world that is becoming unfamiliar to them, or maybe even scary, and so we accept where they’re at and we support them. Often we see people withdraw, decline, and then sometimes even rally near the end. The end of life journey is likely difficult work for the person going through it, both physically and mentally. We let the person prepare. We let them go through the stages. We give them space when they want it, but we also provide them with comfort and help them reach acceptance. At The Heron House we face the end of life with acceptance and dignity.
We believe we need to be comfortable with death so that people who trust us with their care can be, too. Every person that comes to live with us becomes a part of our family and leaves an impression in each of our hearts. We take care of our housemates, we value getting to know them and what shaped their lives before we became a part of it, we care about these people, and we provide comfort to them until their very last breath. And all the while we try to comfort their families while they go through the same stages of loss and grief.
Every single thing we do here is focused on providing compassion and value to people’s lives until their last day and ensuring every person who has entrusted us with their care lives and dies with the dignity that they deserve.