The Art of Artis
Memory-care residents and their families will discover an enriching, engaging, and compassionate community at Artis Senior Living of Yardley.
When searching for a community to care for a loved one who is coping with memory loss, a family has many choices—not all of which are created equally.
The ideal community should be a place where residents can lead an engaging, enriching life in an environment where they feel safe, comfortable, and cared for as individuals. In other words, it should meet the high standards set by the likes of Artis Senior Living, which will soon introduce a new community in Yardley.
When Artis Senior Living of Yardley opens its doors in spring of 2020, family members will find a robust community supported by a team of compassionate professionals. There, residents will benefit from innovative memory-care programs and services designed to help them thrive.
“Artis Senior Living is a resident-centered program,” explains Cheryl Harris, the community’s senior director of marketing. “We have set up a very liberal way to provide care for people with dementia and memory loss. While we always follow state guidelines, there are a lot of opportunities to personalize things for the residents who we care for.”
She is proud to say that Artis Senior Living communities in nearby Huntingdon Valley and across the river in Princeton, N.J., have “set the bar very high in the type of service” provided for residents. What makes an Artis Senior Living community so unique is the time and commitment taken to get to know each resident on an individual basis so the staff may learn how to best serve the entire person, and not just tend to his or her medical issues.
‘Why Not?’
Artis Senior Living is equally committed to making each day meaningful for residents. In fact, Artis employs a director of partnership development who is responsible for the social wellbeing of each resident. Harris says Artis Senior Living goes above and beyond to “personalize our residents’ lives as much as possible.” She cites two small but significant examples: a resident who is something of a tea aficionado who gets her cup of hot tea each day; and a resident who likes to stay up late to watch the 11 p.m. news every night.
Simply put, Artis communities want their residents to have the freedom to enjoy the things that make them happy, just as they did when they lived at home. Artis employs a unique philosophy known as “why not?” It’s a lens through which staffers look when presented with a new idea, faced with a challenge, or tasked to find a creative solution to a question posed by a resident.
“We’re just not going to say no, if it’s a reasonable request,” explains Betsy Szamboti, director of community relations. “For example, we will paint the resident’s room a specific color if they have always had a yellow or purple bedroom and it makes them feel good.”
Another example has to do with mealtimes. While breakfast is at 8 a.m., lunch is at noon, and dinner at 5 p.m., those times are not set in stone. Harris suggests residents can “enjoy a fresh breakfast whatever time they pick” if they choose not to wake with the early risers.
Harris recounts one lovely story about the flexibility at Artis Senior Living. It involves a resident who wanted to take a short walk outside to enjoy the newly fallen snow.
“Almost anywhere else her request would have been met with a resounding no, but she was bundled up for the weather and one of our nurses went outside with her to embrace the cold, crisp afternoon,” Harris says. “If it’s not going to cause any harm, why not?”
Living with Purpose
At Artis Senior Living of Yardley, families will appreciate that “we like to create a purpose for our residents from the time they wake up in the morning as well as throughout the day,” explains Szamboti. The staff may incorporate a favorite family recipe into a cooking program, for example, or a resident who had a career working closely with others may be invited to welcome new residents.
Every aspect of Artis Senior Living of Yardley is being planned with great care. The community will have four Bucks County-themed “neighborhoods”—Pennsbury Manor, Yardley Station, Bowman’s Hill, and Washington Crossing—each with its own dining room and cozy family room. All of the neighborhoods will follow the same design theme to help residents easily find their way.
The Town Center will be the hub of community life, where residents will gather to explore opportunities for personal growth and nourishment, including community-service projects, artistic pursuits, and more. It will also include a beauty parlor and a barbershop to help each resident look and feel like his or her best self.
Harris and her colleagues understand that engagement tends to be a family’s primary concern when seeking a community for a loved one with memory issues. She’s confident that Artis Senior Living of Yardley will provide “a great quality of life that is customized for each one of our residents.”
“We get to know who they are, what they enjoy, and how they want to live their lives,” she adds. “We want them to be treated as individuals and have this be the right fit for each and every one who lives here. We provide a nice lifestyle for people who are coping with memory issues and their families. We are evolving and growing as well, and we work each day to give our residents the best quality of life that we can.”
Szamboti puts it this way: “Our residents do not have to get used to us; we meet them exactly where they are.”
Artis Senior Living of Yardley
765 Stony Hill Road
Yardley, Pa.
(267) 392-5945
Published (and copyrighted) in Suburban Life magazine, December 2019.
