INDUSTRY INSIGHT
ISSUES AFFECTING OLDER ADULTS
SPONSORED CONTENT
Meet Joan:
Active and Safe at Westminster Place
oan never planned on living in a personal care home. She was happy— and busy— living at home in suburban Pittsburgh. Well into her eighties, she hosted family gatherings with her homemade desserts, drove herself regularly, and was active in her local Catholic church.
However, an unexpected accident changed everything. Suddenly, Joan was no longer able to go back home and take care of her lawn and flowers, or feed the birds, like she used to do.
Her four daughters arranged for a tour of Westminster Place, a personal care community in Oakmont from Presbyterian SeniorCare Network, because of the exemplary care their father received years ago at the Willows.
That was three years ago. Now, Joan can’ t imagine living anywhere else.
“ I didn’ t initially want to move out of the home I loved so much, but after a while, I really started to like it,” Joan said.“ There’ s lots to do and I’ ve made many friends. My daughters know I’ m safe. The place is beautiful, the staff’ s wonderful, and the residents are great.”
Joan’ s favorite activities include dice games, sing-a-longs, golf card games, and Wednesday cookouts on the patio. She enjoys visiting the resident store to buy household items. To keep her mind sharp, Joan and several of her friends challenge themselves by playing“ Word Wipe,” a word-making game, on a large screen in the activity room, excitedly calling out clues and answers.
For her health, she attends exercise class six days a week and walks as often as she can along the landscaped yard outside Westminster Place.“ I’ m 92 years old,” Joan said.“ We all need to exercise. I appreciate that so much. My daughters are very supportive of me walking, so they bought me a Rollator. I love that Rollator.”
And she remains active spiritually. She attends the weekly bible study and nondenominational service on Sunday, arriving early to distribute bulletins. After service, she assists Chaplain Mark with the preparations for afternoon tea.“ Once a month, we have Catholic mass here, and I appreciate that so much,” she said.
Joan’ s daughters credit their mom’ s contentment to her engagement with others and to her faith.
It’ s an adjustment to come here, but we all agree, this is a good place for me. There are a lot of activities, and I love people, and we’ re all content. My kids are content, and it’ s a safe place. I’ m safe.”
~ Joan, Westminster Place resident
She is described as a devoted person who sparks conversations easily and wants to make people smile. She aims to help where she can and finds that light teasing eases the concerns of aging.
Her daughters add:“ We appreciate not only the safety of her home within the senior care system, but also the staff’ s pride in their workplace. Westminster Place staff members seek our input and strive to make improvements. They value each resident of their threefloor community and honor the extended families as well. We are truly grateful to each of them.”
This Industry Insight was provided by Presbyterian SeniorCare Network, a non-profit, faith-based network of living and care options. For more than 95 years, Presbyterian SeniorCare Network has been focused on Making Aging Easier ® for older adults and their families. To learn more, visit SrCare. org. To learn more, visit SrCare. org.
OAKMONT-PENN HILLS-VERONA | WINTER 2025 17