Departments

Many older adults are choosing to embrace a maintenance-free lifestyle by moving to a senior living community. Centered around independence, there are numerous benefits for this housing style including spacious living units, access to convenient amenities and on-site opportunities for entertainment. By exploring local senior living options, prospective residents can discover what truly makes each place unique.

Touchmark on West Prospect 

Housed on 40 picturesque acres, Touchmark on West Prospect offers capacious private homes and apartments for seniors. Units feature full kitchens with custom cabinetry and stainless steel appliances, beautiful hardwood-style floors and vaulted ceilings. Select models include a fireplace or balcony option and the community is both smoke-free and pet-friendly. Within the grounds, there are premium amenities for residents such as a coffee shop & bistro, salon and barbershop, library, health & fitness studio, and on-site banking.

Touchmark, a family-owned business, has decades of experience and proudly manages the communities they build. “We build each community as if we are going to live in it,” said Melissa Poulsen, a Retirement Counselor at Touchmark, “making the decision to move is a process – one that’s filled with lots of information and choices; connecting residents to our Touchmark community starts the moment they reach out to us.”

Like Poulsen, dedicated Retirement Counselors are an incredible resource for the community and support individuals by helping them to find their own vision of a full life. “Our retirement counselors serve as sounding boards,” said Poulsen, “they ask questions, offer encouragement and provide resources and information to help people define what will give them a rich and satisfying life.” This experience is individualized and also helps individuals facilitate friendships.

Additionally, the community offers a New Resident Orientation, which assists residents in getting acquainted with their new home.

“If engaging in intellectually stimulating activities is important, we guide them to experience some of our speakers and talks,” explained Poulsen, “if healthy lifestyle choices are at the forefront of their decision to move, we can set up a meeting with our Health & Fitness team members who can guide them to classes or help them with good nutrition, getting adequate sleep, and managing stress.”

Further, Touchmark employs an Internationally-award winning, Full Life Wellness & Enrichment program™. It serves as a pillar for health and happiness by focusing on key areas such as fitness, lifelong learning, volunteerism, creative arts and spiritual well being. “Residents say living well means having more friendships, worrying less, exercising more, eating healthier and being more social, therefore, we integrate all of these into our daily programs,” said Poulsen.

Beyond traditional comforts, the community also consists of caring staff. “I’m most proud of the amazing people who live and work here,” said Poulsen, “if you ask anyone on our team, they will tell you that their favorite part of each day is spending time with the residents and taking the extra step to make every day meaningful.” Going above and beyond includes celebrations! “Ensuring we are inclusive, reflecting diversity, and celebrating all walks of life is also key,” said Poulsen. Together, residents celebrate special dates like Veterans Day and birthdays and also come together for an annual Holiday Gala, complete with a dazzling light show.

When it comes to retirement, many individuals envision expanded opportunities and a homelike environment; Touchmark strives to meet that match and to inspire the lives of their residents. “We truly believe that a full life is available to anyone,” said Poulsen, “there will be a lot of new residents that come to the community, and they’re going to bring their talents, experience, and background and we’re going to be doing new things, going new places, experiencing new things and that makes life a lot more fun!”

Eagle Point Senior Living 

Nestled on the banks of the Fox River, Eagle Point Senior Living unites quiet elegance with exceptional care and opportunity. The community consists of opulent studio, one and two-bedroom apartments, including some with balcony overlooks, on a sweeping 7.5-acre lot. The modern rooms don custom blinds, a full kitchen with range, refrigerator and microwave, as well as individually-controlled temperature settings, a controlled access entry system and options for a private, in-unit washer and dryer.

Paired with a calming ambiance, Eagle Point provides exclusive amenities for residents including, but not limited to, a communal room for social and recreational events, a fitness room, salon, and fireside lounge. Residents can also enjoy the expansive outdoor gathering area with grills, or connect with nature by walking the nearby paths. Even more, outdoor-enthusiasts can grab a pair of binoculars and watch eagles, which nest in the nearby Cottonwood trees. The birds, which can be seen all year round, were the inspiration behind the community’s name.

“Eagle Point is a high-end senior living community that is intricately designed to support various needs,” said Executive Director, Jennifer Thompson, “our genuinely passionate staff work hard to help our residents feel completely at home at all times.” Residents have access to housekeeping and linen services, as well as an array of scheduled daily activities, community-sponsored events and resident-led projects.

Through Eagle Points’ revolving door of services and amenities, it attracts residents of many different lifestyles. “The Eagle Point community is sure to provide a welcoming atmosphere for all,” said Thompson, “stylish indoor and outdoor spaces, state-of-the-art facilities, and exciting community-led events make Eagle Point a relaxing and care-free environment.”

As a community, Eagle Point looks to foster health and well-being for elders, their families and all staff members. “We focus on aging magnificently, that can be summarized very simply: Strength + Purpose + Belonging = Resilience,” explained Thompson, “we recognize the importance of individuality and strive to help our residents embrace their uniqueness in every aspect.” They also instill the Inspire Wellness for Life program, which was developed to help maintain a positive quality of life by highlighting the 7 Dimensions of Wellness.

The dimensions work seamlessly to bond a resident’s mind, body and spirit. Attention is given to living an active lifestyle, finding meaning and purpose in life, and interacting with others. Emotional and Intellectual needs are carefully supported, with respect and awareness being at the core of interactions. Vocational and environmental constituents are also addressed; and all together, the program components help to improve an individual’s cognition, reduce depression symptoms, decrease pain and to prevent falls.

While Eagle Point offers varying levels of care that is suited for a diverse range of individuals, happiness and self-sufficiency is paramount. “Our residents exercise their independence with confidence, knowing we are always available for medical care or extra help if they need us,” said Thompson, “we’re committed to supporting our residents’ well being and our primary goal is to maintain the absolute highest level of care throughout our community.” The continuum of care is frequently evolving within the Eagle Point community. “We are in the process of developing condos for our campus for a very independent clientele,” said Thompson.

Parallel to the charm, a salient and personalized experience is pivotal and residents are treated like family. “Our goal is to ensure community members are consistently treated with courtesy, dignity, and respect,” said Thompson, “our staff takes time to get to know each resident personally so they can always greet them by name and with a smile.”

Appleton Retirement Community 

Built within the heart of the city, near downtown and City Park, Appleton Retirement Community offers both independent and assisted living options with the mindset of a resident-focused environment. The community offers studios, plus one and two bedroom room options. Additionally, certain room types offer a den, an additional half bathroom and laundry hook ups. Rooms are designed for optimal accessibility, and most feature walk-in showers, kitchen pantries and extra storage space throughout.

Outside of their rooms, residents have access to a generous amount of beneficial conveniences. Not only can they enjoy a soothing soak in a warm whirlpool bath in the spa room, but they can visit the aviary, play the piano, catch new releases and watch classics in the theater. “Choices, choices, choices – whether it be what to eat, what to participate in or who to socialize with, our residents are empowered to make choices every day,” said Community Manager, Amber Nett. Those with a green thumb will love spending an afternoon in the resident gardening areas. For those who wish to worship, spiritual services including those of Lutheran, Catholic and Baptist faiths, as well as Non-Denominational observances, are also held regularly.

“We offer the opportunity for residents to maintain a high level of autonomy while living in a convenient and safe environment,” said Nett, “we’re empowering residents to thrive.” Thriving also comes in the form of extra care. Appleton Retirement Community offers a Foot Care Clinic to residents which includes a visiting podiatrist. A hair stylist can also be found in the lower level salon and offers haircuts for both men and women, color and perm services and manicures. Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapies are also available from the comfort of home.

What is more distinctive, is that residents of Appleton Retirement Community stay happily busy! “The variety and amount of activities we offer is beyond anything I’ve ever seen before,” said Nett. The Life Enrichment Department, consisting of six experienced staff members, are responsible for scheduling activities, hosting events and providing residents with amazing opportunities. Individuals residing within the community can expect endless on-site entertainment in the form of patio and porch socials, ladies tea, craft groups, and various card games including Progressive Bingo, Bridge, Sheepshead and Kings Corners.

Big adventures are also in the books! Outings include educational and historical tours, attending Timber Rattler Baseball games, a boat trip on the Chain O’Lakes in Waupaca, and spring and fall trips to High Cliff State Park in Sherwood where groups rent a cabin, cook meals over the crackling fire and relax amongst the sounds of the great outdoors.

“Whether we’re going out to eat, going to a musical performance or shopping, we are out weekly,” said Nett, “our residents connect to the community in so many ways.” There are so many substantial ways for seniors to engage every day when they call Appleton Retirement Community home, including through visitors. “We’re fortunate to have a very caring Alderman who has breakfast with our residents every month to hear what they are thinking,” said Nett, “many local musicians, pastors as well as volunteers from a variety of areas also come in and spend time here with our residents.”

Family members of residents are encouraged to get involved. “The families of our residents have a very important role to play in not only their lives, but the life of our community,” said Nett, “we welcome families to participate in our special programs, including opportunities for great grandkids to engage in intergenerational activities several times per year.”

From care to community involvement, Appleton Retirement Community aims to positively impact the lives of their residents. “Finding the right community to fit your needs is important,” explained Nett, “some people focus on location and distance a community is from loved ones, however, it’s important to make sure the day to day life inside of the community is what suits you.”

Along with comfortable accommodations and providing ways to celebrate life’s little moments, the staff make all the difference. “I connect with residents at Appleton Retirement Community through humor; they make me laugh and smile every day!” said Nett, “the fact I get to see staff members living out our mission of passionately enriching the lives of seniors every day is so rewarding.”

In all, there are many noteworthy senior living options that not only embrace independence but showcase an abundance of convenience and chances for friendship, togetherness and lifelong enjoyment. From an array of amenities to plans for adventure, as retirement approaches, remember, home is where the heart is and it can be found right here in the Fox Valley.