The Healing Power of Community and Culture at The Hearth
August 25, 2023
After being diagnosed with a serious heart condition five years ago, Chloe, a retired teacher, moved to The Hearth at Drexel. Too sick for surgery then, Chloe needed to move to a caring environment where her medical, physical, social, spiritual, emotional and intellectual needs could be fulfilled, yet where she could be close to her doctors and her daughter, Shelley.
With the care of The Hearth’s compassionate team, and supportive community relationships, Chloe’s health has improved so that she can enjoy all that life at The Hearth has to offer.
“After looking at many senior residential properties, I found The Hearth was the perfect community for Mom,” Shelley says. “My mother loves playing the ukulele and the piano, so we were thrilled that she could bring both instruments with her to The Hearth.
“Mom has made many friends here with whom she can enjoy music and cultural programs. They dine and share daily activities together. Mom also participates in the art programs because she has always liked painting and other creative pursuits that remind her of activities she shared with her students,” Shelley adds.
“The Household model offers community-oriented social opportunities combined with personalized care, alongside the privacy that Mom needs.” She adds, “Even better is the fact that the ecumenical spiritual community is one where Mom can regularly worship among her Christian and Jewish friends.
“She lives minutes away from my home on the Main Line,” notes Shelley, “so that I can visit her frequently and she is still within close proximity to her doctors. My sister, Brenda, and her partner, Guillermo, visit Mom twice a year, and they perform dance demonstrations for the Hearth residents, as they did in May,” says Shelley.
“Living at the Hearth, eating excellent meals with friends in her household, being well cared for by the professional team, and engaging as part of the community has brought my mother back to life,” according to Shelley. “She has become stronger, healthier and happier. She feels so at home that she doesn’t like being away for more than a night or two to visit her grandchildren,” concludes Shelley.
