feature story

Building on Experience with a New Community in Normal

The Bistro, at Meadows at Mercy Creek, offers a variety of snacks, baked goods, specialty coffees, and drinks to residents and guests of the community.
s Bloomington-Normals newest senior living community, Meadows at Mercy Creek offers the unique combination of a long-standing reputation for serving seniors and a beautiful new state-of-the-art building in Northeast Normal. Building on Experience Meadows at Mercy Creek is owned and operated by Meadows Mennonite Retirement Community, a not-for-profit, faith-based organization located near Chenoa, Illinois. With more than 90 years of experience, the organization has a long-standing reputation for providing quality, compassionate care to seniors. Meadows is one of the most recommended senior living organizations in the area. In its most recent resident satisfaction survey, 100 percent of the respondents said they would recommend Meadows to family and friends, showing an extraordinary vote of confidence in the organization. In addition to the organizations experience and success, the professional staff at Meadows at Mercy Creek offers degrees, credentials, and more than 100 combined years of experience in providing serPage 20 Healthy Cells Magazine Bloomington May 2013

vices to seniors. The staff is dedicated and passionate about upholding Meadows standard for providing exceptional, resident-centered care to residents of Meadows at Mercy Creek. CEO Bob Bertsche and the staff at Meadows are excited about the opportunity to extend service to seniors with the new Normal location. Those of us that serve at Meadows Mennonite Retirement Community consider it an honor to carry out the ministry and mission of this organization. Meadows has served thousands of Central Illinois families in its 90 year history. Meadows at Mercy Creek will allow us to expand our service opportunities in the future. The Meadows at Mercy Creek Difference In its first building phase, Meadows at Mercy Creek provides an enriching lifestyle for Independent and Assisted Living residents. The warm and welcoming atmosphere of the community includes common areas available for residents to use at their leisure. Residents may enjoy visiting with friends or reading near the fireplace in the main lobby. The private dining room, which accommo-

dates groups of up to 24, provides an ideal setting for a private get-together or special occasion with family and friends. In the theater room, residents may watch a movie or listen to a special guest speaker. The main activity room is ideally designed for exercise classes, card games, and trivia night. The common areas also contain the main dining room, the Bistro snack shop, a coffee lounge, a library and computer lounge, conference and family activity rooms, a health spa, a beauty and barber shop, a center courtyard, and outdoor patios. Within the building, 60 spacious one and two bedroom apartment homes surround a beautifully landscaped center courtyard. The apartment homes are equipped with walk-in closets, kitchenettes, spacious bathrooms with walk-in showers, and individual ventilation and climate controls. Design details including nine-foot ceilings, crown molding and bay windows create an updated and inviting space. High-quality construction and an eye for detail are apparent throughout the custom designed community. With everything under one roof, residents of the community find it easy to stay active and connected. The ability to stay active and involved is especially important to resident Catherine Klopfenstein, who moved to Meadows at Mercy Creek last October. Living in a retire-

Residents enjoy visiting near the fireplace in the main lobby.

ment community has allowed Catherine the time to do things she has always enjoyed, such as writing letters to family and friends or playing card games with friends in the activity room. I like keeping busy and having time to do the things that are important to me. Catherine has also had the opportunity to try new things, like bowling on the Playstation3 in the theater room and participating in Meadows at Mercy Creeks walking club. Meadows at Mercy Creek residents enjoy the communitys all-inclusive services, which include weekly housekeeping, flat linen service, indoor and outdoor maintenance, an emergency response system, and complimentary transportation within Bloomington-Normal. The dining experience has already become a highlight of the new community. Residents and their guests enjoy exceptional meals in the restaurant-style dining room and private dining room. The community serves three meals a day and the flexible dining program allows residents to decide when they wish to dine, and also provides the opportunity for dinner guests. In addition to restaurant-style dining, the Bistro
May 2013 Bloomington Healthy Cells Magazine Page 21

Restaurant-style dining allows residents to order from a menu of fresh, delicious options.

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Meadows at Mercy Creek residents enjoy games in the theater room, like virtual bowling, to stay active and involved.
snack shop offers a variety of snacks, baked goods, specialty coffees, and drinks to residents and guests of the community. Culinary Director Kristine Freshour and Meadows at Mercy Creeks chefs and bakers strive to serve meals that are not only delicious, but also fresh and healthy. We source our food from local stores and vendors and look forward to utilizing the areas farmers markets and our own community garden for quality and freshness. The combination of selective purchasing of quality ingredients and creative, talented chefs and bakers leads to a wonderful dining experience for our residents and guests! As a licensed Assisted Living provider, a full range of health and personal care services are available to meet the needs of individual residents. Residents may receive additional assistance with daily tasks, help with personal care or medication reminders. Compassionate care and assistance is provided by a team of experienced, licensed nurses and caregivers, with the community staffed 24 hours a day. Senior LivingSimplified! Meadows at Mercy Creek is a not-for-profit senior living community, and financial options were designed with the resident in mind. Residents may choose to rent their apartment by the month, or purchase their apartment through a Founders Purchase Plan. The monthly rental option offers a simple, all-inclusive monthly fee determined by the size of the apartment. The monthly fee includes a full range of resident services, as well as all utilities to the apartment (except telephone). The Founders Purchase Plan offers an opportunity to make an equity investment in the community at the time of move-in, the majority of which is refundable when the resident no longer lives in the community. Residents with a Founders Purchase Plan pay a discounted monthly fee, which also includes a full range of resident services and all utilities to the apartment (except telephone).
Page 22 Healthy Cells Magazine Bloomington May 2013

Both financial options are designed around a simplified financial model that involves no entrance fees, no community fees, no enhanced care fees, and no level of care fees. The cost of living in the community is simply based on the size of the apartment. With this simplified, fixed-rate plan, residents are assured that as they age and their needs increase, their cost will not increase with their need for more care or services. Resident Bob Cunningham moved into his apartment in December and appreciates the simplified financial model. I like that there are no unexpected fees. I know what my cost will be each month and feel comfort knowing that even if I need more help at some point, the cost will not increase as I need more care. It has made it easy for me to budget and plan for the future. For a limited time, the community is offering new residents a Charter Resident Benefits package, which includes a financial discount off the monthly fee, complimentary guest meals, and a gift card for the Meadows at Mercy Creek Bistro snack shop. With 90 years of experience providing exceptional service to seniors through Meadows and a new, state-of-the-art community in Normal, there is great excitement and interest in Meadows at Mercy Creek. The communitys residents and professional staff welcome visitors and are happy to share details about all Meadows at Mercy Creek has to offer.

Meadows at Mercy Creek is located at 1501 Mercy Creek Drive in Northeast Normal (near the intersection of Raab Road and Towanda Barnes Road). To find out more or to schedule a tour, you may contact Marketing Director Holly Hall at 309-268-1501.

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