New Wheels for Lighthouse Ellicott City Residents

Residents at Lighthouse Senior Living in Ellicott City will no longer have to find their own transportation to get around town. The new van arrived for them in July. For months, residents have been eagerly planning outings to places such as the public library, local restaurants, festivals, concerts and plays, and shopping trips. The van will also be available for medical appointments.

Pictured here; Hilda Locke. Hilda was the first resident to move into Lighthouse Senior Living in Ellicott City when it opened October 5, 2009.

Team Lighthouse Supports Alzheimer’s Association

In the United States, 5.3 million people are living with Alzheimer’s disease, and a new individual is diagnosed with the disease every 70 seconds. Unless something is done, by 2050, up to 16 million Americans will have Alzheimer’s, and a new case will be diagnosed every 33 seconds.

The statistics are staggering. According to www.alz.org, the website for the National Chapter for the Alzheimer’s Association, 5.3 million Americans already have Alzheimer’s disease. It costs the country $172 billion annually. Alzheimer’s disease is the 7th leading cause of death. There are 10.9 million unpaid caregivers taking care of someone with Alzheimer’s disease.

Memory Walk is the nation's largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer care, support and research – and it calls on people of all ages to take action in the fight. This year, Lighthouse Senior Living at both Ellicott City and Hopkins Creek will be sponsoring teams of walkers to help raise money for the Alzheimer’s Association and awareness of Alzheimer’s disease. All proceeds raised at Memory Walks remain local to support the many programs the Alzheimer’s Association provides in your own community such as Safe Return, support groups and the Help Line.

This year’s Memory Walks are scheduled on Sunday, October 23 in Columbia and Sunday, October 30 in Baltimore. The Columbia Walk will be held at Centennial Park and will be 3 miles long, with registration at 9:00 am and the Walk itself beginning at 10:00. The Baltimore Walk will once again be held at Oregon Ridge Park where you have the choice of an easier 1 mile route or a more challenging 2 mile route. Registration is at 8:00 am in Baltimore and the Walk will begin at 9:00 am. Please plan to join us as we support this very worthy cause. For more information, call Jamie LeGoff at Lighthouse Senior Living in Ellicott City at 410-465-2288, Cindy Hawkins at Lighthouse Senior Living at Hopkins Creek at 410-918-0700 or the Central Maryland Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association at 410-561-9099.

Alzheimer’s Support Group Starts at Lighthouse Senior Living

No two people experience Alzheimer’s disease in the same way. As a result, there's no one approach to caregiving. A caregiver’s responsibilities can range from making financial decisions, managing changes in behavior, to helping a loved one get dressed in the morning.
Handling these duties is hard work. But by learning caregiving skills, a caregiver can make sure that his/her loved one feels supported and is living a full life. Caregivers must also ensure that they are taking steps to preserve their own well-being.

Caring for someone who has Alzheimer’s disease can be overwhelming, exhausting and stressful. A family caregiver may feel loss over changes in relationships with a loved one with Alzheimer’s, other family members and friends. During this time, it is critical that caregivers look after their own physical and mental health. (Source: www.alz.org) Even if the loved one lives in an assisted living or other care setting, the caregiver may continue to feel caregiver stress.

Frequently, physicians don’t have the time to speak with families regarding their loved one’s diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease and what to expect. Families may have the number or website for their local chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association but do not feel comfortable reaching out.

For these reasons, Lighthouse Senior Living in Ellicott City has formed an Alzheimer’s Caregiver Support Group. The support group meets the third Wednesday of each month. Our first meeting was held on June 16 and participants watched the documentary Complaints of a Dutiful Daughter. Our support group is meant to be an outlet for sharing experiences, venting feelings, educating one another on Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia and providing support to those who are also caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease. The Alzheimer caregiver Support Group meetings are open to the public. Anyone caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia is free to join us. There is strength in numbers. Our next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, July 21 at 5:30 pm. For more information, please call Noelle Gepp Wilson at 410-465-2288.

Lighthouse Senior Living Program
“Bring a Friend to Lunch”

An opportunity was initiated in January for our residents to invite, by personal invitation, a friend that they would like to visit and spend a special afternoon with. Personal invitations are mailed in the residents name as host, rsvp's are required. We hold lunch for the small group, engage in an activity after lunch and provide "thank you for coming" gifts from the resident to their friends.

Upcoming Event

Tuesday March 9 • 6:00 p.m.
Lighthouse Senior Living at Hopkins Creek
"Recognizing Alzheimer's Disease"
Lite Fare served, Please RSVP 410-918-0400

Holiday Greetings from Lighthouse Senior Living at Hopkins Creek

We held our Annual Resident/Family Holiday Dinner this week along with wonderful food, lively entertainment and a full house. Our residents and family members enjoyed their time together as we all ate, danced and were merry!

Team Lighthouse Supports Alzheimer’s Association

Memory Walk 2009 for Baltimore County took place at Oregon Ridge Park in Timonium, MD. Team Lighthouse joined the walk with a team of their own and 29 plus walkers who Gathered donations totaling over $3,150 for the cause.

The weather was damp and cold but everyone persevered and a great time was had by all! We look forward to the walk in 2010 with even more success.

Spooks and Stars October 31st

Food, Fun and Participation in our Activity Room on Friday, October 31st. After lunch and hosting a parade of approximately 55 children from Our Lady of Mount Carmel School our residents enjoyed a Halloween of their own. Cake, cookies, cupcakes and ice cream. Punch, ice tea and music filling the air! Resident family members and staff enjoyed serving our residents.

A Well Attended Senior Expo At Timonium Fairgrounds

Representing both of our communities at the 2009 Baby Boomer Senior Expo was both fun and productive. We were visible to the thousands that roamed the exhibit hall collecting

Information”, signing up for drawings; being entertained by excellent impersonators such as Elvis, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, Patsy Kline and Frank Sinatra.

Our own drawing drew entrants of up to 216 visitors for Lunch with us at Lighthouse Senior Living Hopkins Creek and a special dessert of 5-$10 Gift Cards to WalMart.

We hope you saw us there and if perhaps you didn’t this year, look for us next year.

Renovations Near Completion at
Ellicott City Location

With the renovations nearly complete at our Ellicott City location, Lighthouse Senior Living is poised to welcome our first residents in September.  Lighthouse Senior Living at Ellicott City will accommodate 59 residents including 24 that will reside in The Village, a special memory care unit exclusively designed for those with Alzheimer’s disease and other memory impairment illnesses.  Great consideration was taken with seniors in mind when planning the renovations to Lighthouse Ellicott City. With wide hallways, spacious and centrally located common areas, the residents have many places to gather and socialize with friends, while being able to retire to the privacy of individual apartments at the end of the day.  A state of the art emergency call system was installed for added safety and security. The residents in The Village will enjoy the latest innovations in memory care. From staff specially selected for their compassion and caring, to specific components of our physical plant, we will strive to be the premier providers of memory care to Howard County. Lighthouse Senior Living in Ellicott City is currently opening for tours and is now accepting reservation deposits.  Be one of the first to get in on the newest assisted living community in Howard County.  For more information, please call 410-465-2288.

Lighthouse Resident Featured in Guide to Retirement Living Magazine

Lighthouse Senior Living at Hopkins Creek resident Jim Wise was recently profiled in the Guide to Retirement Living Magazine's Fall 2008 issue.

Click here to read the article.

Lighthouse Resident Featured in Guide to Retirement Living Magazine

On Tuesday, October 14, 2008, our local Councilman Bartenfelder of District 6 was kind enough to join us and present a proclamation to one of our most valued volunteers, Mr. Russ Atwood. Mr. Atwood has been giving his time to Lighthouse Senior Living for several years. He created a Sports Forum/Chat which has been very well received by the Residents and continues to grow.

The event was held in the dining room with a wonderful handful of residents looking on, as nearly everyone knows Mr. Atwood. Councilman Bartenfelder enjoyed chatting with the residents about years gone by and knowing the area every bit as much as the residents. Everyone had a wonderful time and punch and cookies were provided.