Redefining Memory Care At Heather Glen Senior Living—Our Unique Approach

At Heather Glen Senior Living, we strive to provide exceptional memory care services tailored to the unique needs of each resident, but our approach is not just about offering care, it’s also about creating an environment that fosters dignity, comfort and personal growth. Central to this mission is our innovative Memory Care Community, which has been an integral part of Heather Glen Senior Living since it opened in 2016. With our neighborhoods model and highly individualized programming, we are redefining what it means to provide care for individuals with dementia. 

Alongside our own efforts, we are proud to support Dementia Friendly Lehigh Valley, a non-profit organization dedicated to educating the community and reducing the stigma associated with dementia. Through this partnership, we provide both financial support and community-based initiatives that raise awareness about how to interact with and care for individuals living with dementia. Together, we aim to make a real difference for both our residents and their families. 

A personal and community-centered approach

Memory Care at Heather Glen Senior Living is not a one-size-fits-all solution, and our team, led by our Memory Care Director, Jackie Crespo, works tirelessly to ensure that every resident feels seen, understood and supported. A key aspect of this approach is our commitment to creating a homelike atmosphere by organizing residents into smaller groups we call neighborhoods. Each neighborhood houses up to 10 residents and is designed to provide a more intimate and quieter living experience. This setup fosters a sense of community and minimizes overstimulation, which can be a significant source of stress for those with dementia. 

Unlike some other facilities, our entire staff is trained in dementia care. Every new employee, whether they work in housekeeping, dining services or personal care, completes six hours of dementia-specific training as part of their onboarding process. This training includes learning how to communicate effectively, manage behaviors and meet the unique needs of our residents. This process is repeated annually to ensure our staff is equipped to handle the changing needs of those in our care. 

“Our training is continuously evolving. Each year we go over all of the residents that we have and the behaviors that they’re having, and the training is guided per department,” Jackie explains. “If I’m meeting with the housekeeping team, it’s going to be very housekeeping driven. We’re going to discuss how to enter their rooms, how to communicate with them, discuss any issues they might be having and put plans into place.”

Every detail in Heather Glen’s Memory Care Community is carefully considered, and every aspect is designed with our residents' comfort and well-being in mind. Even the brightly colored dining plates—red, orange, and yellow—were specifically chosen to stimulate appetite based on the psychology of color.

Family involvement and support

At Heather Glen Senior Living, we believe in fostering strong relationships between residents and their families, and Jackie emphasizes that family members are not only welcome but encouraged to stay involved in their loved one’s life each day. 

“Oftentimes a family member in our Memory Care Community has my phone number and can reach me anytime, and I encourage my families to reach out to me whenever,” Jackie says. “Since we communicate frequently, our families feel more at ease. It’s also great when we’re doing activities, and I can just take a picture and send it right to their family, and that makes their day!”

For families caring for a loved one with dementia, the emotional toll can be significant, and many are thrust into the role of caregiver without adequate preparation. Jackie is trained as a Savvy Caregiver, so we also offer a six-week course, 2-3 times a year, that provides families with the tools they need to understand dementia and care for their loved ones effectively. These sessions meet once weekly over a six week time frame and are designed to reduce caregiver burnout by equipping family members with knowledge about dementia progression, behaviors and self-care. 

Person-centered programming and activities

Every resident at Heather Glen Senior Living has a life story, and it’s our job to ensure that story continues in a meaningful way within our community. From the moment a resident joins, we work with their family to understand their interests, hobbies and life experiences, and this allows us to create personalized activities that engage residents both cognitively and emotionally. 

For instance, when a new resident who loved Scrabble moved in, we quickly organized a weekly Scrabble club, which now meets every Thursday. Activities like this, based on personal interests, help residents retain a sense of normalcy and connection to their past. Our team has also introduced unique projects, such as woodworking, air hockey and even a basketball hoop to cater to some of our younger residents.

In addition to that, we also offer outings that cater to various levels of care, such as trips to the Allentown Art Museum for the Art Can program, visits to the fish hatchery, breakfast outings, rides for ice cream and even seeing the Lights in the Parkway Christmas event. We’ve recreated nostalgic games, like Hungry Hungry Hippos, by having residents in wheelchairs use brooms with baskets attached to collect the balls on the ground while our staff enthusiastically guided them around. For residents unable to join the carriage ride through the parkway lights at our Heather Glen holiday celebration, we brought the experience to them by setting up a makeshift sleigh over their wheelchairs and recreating the scene in our memory care garden. 

One of the most beloved members of our community is Chewy, Jackie’s dog, who visits the Memory Care Community regularly. Residents light up when Chewy arrives, and he has become an integral part of daily life, bringing comfort and joy, and even helps some residents reminisce about their own pets. Jackie and her team ensure that every resident, regardless of their stage in memory care, has the opportunity to engage in an activity that is safe and meaningful to them—making each day a new adventure. 

“The part of my job that I absolutely love is being out with the residents and seeing them enjoying themselves,” Jackie explains. “Yes, they’re changing, but a lot of times we focus on how much they’ve lost as opposed to how much they retain and can still do.”

Partnership with Dementia Friendly Lehigh Valley

One of the cornerstones of our mission is giving back to the community, and our partnership with Dementia Friendly Lehigh Valley allows us to do just that. As a financial supporter and care partner of this non-profit organization, Heather Glen is committed to helping reduce the stigma surrounding dementia and providing education on how to support individuals living with this condition.

Last year, our team at Heather Glen Senior Living held a successful fundraising event for Dementia Friendly Lehigh Valley, where we matched every dollar raised. After quickly reaching our initial goal of $1,000, we continued our fundraising efforts and doubled the match to $2,000. This November, we are excited to host another month-long fundraising event in collaboration with Dementia Friendly Lehigh Valley to continue our support for this important cause.

A future of compassionate care

At Heather Glen Senior Living, our focus is on what our residents can do, rather than what they have lost, and we are continually evolving to meet the changing needs of our residents, with the goal of providing the highest level of memory care possible. Whether it’s organizing personalized activities, fostering strong family relationships or partnering with organizations like Dementia Friendly Lehigh Valley, Heather Glen Senior Living remains committed to creating an environment where residents thrive. 

Our team is always thinking outside the box, finding new ways to enhance the lives of those in our care, and as we look toward the future, our focus remains clear—providing a place where residents feel at home, families feel supported and memory care is delivered with compassion and expertise. For more information about Heather Glen Senior Living or to schedule a visit, give us a call at (610) 841-4478 or fill out our online form today. We’d love to show you how our unique approach to memory care can make a difference in your loved one’s life.