Brookdale Hagerstown, formerly Emeritus at Hagerstown, is among the premier Hagerstown, MD "senior-living-solutions/assisted-living/"> Assisted Living and href="senior-living-solutions/memory-care/">Memory Care munities, offers Alzheimer’s and dementia care for seniors. Our senior living community is located just off I-70 in Hagerstown, the largest city in Western Maryland. We are surrounded by beautiful countryside, farms and wooded areas; yet the downtown area, with its many recreational activities, cultural opportunities and events, is only five minutes away. Hagerstown Community College, where we often take residents for concerts on Sunday, is right down the street. Ditto Farms Regional Park is just to our south.

Brookdale Hagerstown is a wonderful retirement community with so much to offer, and we take full advantage of it all. We often take residents to the indoor Pennsylvania Dutch Market in the Long Meadow Shopping Center, where the delicious aroma of just-baked pastry, the colorful bounty of fresh produce and a wonderful sampling of Amish crafts, quilts and furniture takes you back to the old-time weekend markets of yesteryear. Many Sundays, we enjoy musical concerts at Hagerstown Community College, and monthly we take in a play at the Hagerstown Playhouse. For our sporting enthusiasts, we occasionally attend a Hagerstown Suns baseball game. Hagerstown also offers Hagerstown Premium Outlets, featuring designer sportswear, shoes, gifts, accessories and more; as well as the Antietam Battlefield Field, where we often take residents for a tour and museum visit. In addition, our community dines out once a month at a local restaurant. Residents choose the location, which might include Red Lobster, Outback or our local Japanese steak house. Transportation is provided in our own van.

A Wonderful Selection

Our community offers a total of 98 spacious senior apartments, including studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom suites. Each apartment has a private bath – some are handicapped-accessible with a shower seat – as well as a kitchenette with full-sized refrigerator, sink and cabinets. Many of the communities overlook our backyard, with its expansive lawn and wooded area. Residents are always welcome to bring in their own furniture and decorate however they’d like to make their living accommodations homey and comfortable. They can even bring in different curtains.

Our main living room features a brick fireplace with couches, big chairs and a television, as well as a hospitality station with snacks, fresh coffee and tea. We also have two smaller living rooms, with round tables for residents to play cards and couches for watching television. Lots of windows make these rooms especially light and bright. Our community also has its own chapel, complete with organ, pews and hymn books. In addition, our beauty salon/barber shop is opened Tuesday through Friday. Residents can also play card or board games in our activities room, which features a full kitchen with stove and dishwasher, should they wish to prepare snacks or bake a batch of cookies. Our main dining room is extremely spacious and elegant, with many chandeliers, a beautiful hand-painted mural of a farm scene and a baby grand piano. Our private dining room is just off the main dining room and offers seating for ten. Sometimes family members bring in their own food. At other times, they order right off our regular menu.

Strong, Caring Professional Relationships

We offer the services of a physician who comes to our community twice a week to work directly with residents. He is also very accessible other times of the week and can make unscheduled visits should a resident need immediate care. In addition, a podiatrist visits once a month. And for the additional convenience of our residents, we also offer on-site lab services every Monday. Genesis Rehab, one of the largest rehabilitation organizations in the country, provides all of our physical, occupational and speech therapy, including for our memory care residents. Their expert therapists can either provide services in our dedicated therapy room, or as necessary, they can go to residents in their own apartments. The occupational therapists work closely with residents to help them become more proficient at everyday tasks, so that they can remain as independent as possible. The goal of the physical therapy staff is to help restore patients to their highest possible level of function. They evaluate each resident and devise an individual treatment plan that might include therapeutic exercise programs, gait and functional training for safety and independence, muscle re-education to regain function, joint and soft-tissue mobilization to increase range of motion and pain management. The speech-language pathologists focus on communication problems and swallowing difficulties, designing treatment plans to address functional abilities. We also have relationships with local nursing homes should a resident need more intense rehabilitation for a short period of time.

Our Staff

Our large and experienced staff includes a Resident Care Director and Resident Assessment Director, both of whom are RNs, a staff of LPNs who provide around-the-clock care, an Executive Director, a Community Relations Director, an Assistant Executive Director, an Activities Director, a Maintenance Director and a Concierge. Located in our lobby area, the concierge is available Monday through Friday to greet family members, answer phones and help residents with any assistance they may need.

A Wonderful, Active Lifestyle

Visitors are immediately greeted by our warm, inviting atmosphere and welcoming staff, who take the time to greet everyone who comes through our doors. Just off our spacious lobby is our lovely living room, where fresh coffee is always brewing. And at almost any time of the day, our community is humming with activity. You’ll see residents everywhere, visiting together on comfy couches, enjoying happy hour or participating in morning exercise classes. Ours is a lively, vibrant senior living community, all within an elegant building that feels much like a grand hotel of the past. And we offer a five-day skilled therapy program that allows residents to stay right here for their physical, occupational and speech therapy needs.

One of our most popular activities is our chair exercise program, which is held every day including weekends. The program is designed to help residents loosen their muscles and build strength, which is especially important for those who are not independently ambulatory. With soothing music in the background, the half-hour sessions are also very relaxing. We offer all kinds of games, puzzles and bingo, as well as a resident bridge club. Every Monday, residents get together for happy hour. Residents also have the opportunity to attend musical performances. Three nights a week, we offer movies and hot popcorn, fresh from our own popcorn machine.

Partnering with the Local Neighborhood Community

Our community participates in our local Memory Walk, sponsored by the National Alzheimer’s Association. The Memory Walk is the nation’s largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer care, support and research.

Brookdale Hagerstown holds monthly Alzheimer’s support groups for family members and for those members of the public who are caring for a loved one at home and may need some extra support. Our memory impairment experts educate participants about the disease and the disease process, talk about individual concerns and share tips on caring for a loved one with this devastating illness.

Fine Dining

At each meal, our residents are waited on by a professional wait-staff dressed in traditional black and white outfits with bowties – much like you’d expect at an elegant hotel. Our Dining Services Director plans our menu and occasionally wears the chef’s hat. We always offer a main entrée, which might include roast beef and potatoes, chicken dishes or a delicious casserole. In addition, there is an “always available” menu should residents want something other than the main entrée. Our full breakfast features made-to-order eggs, bacon, sausage, fruits, pastries, juices and more. For residents with dietary restrictions, we have a staff dietician who oversees all of our residents with special dietary requirements. Just about any type of diet can be accommodated, including diabetic diets focused on controlling carbohydrates, a no-salt cardiac diet or a mechanical soft diet. A variety of snacks –  which could include muffins, corn bread, cookies or fruit – are also available in the living room, and food is served whenever we have special activities.