What Does “Community” Really Mean at The Highlands at Wyomissing®?
In senior living today, the word community appears in brochures, on websites, and in conversations with prospective residents. But what does it truly mean?
The Latin root communitas speaks to togetherness and shared responsibility. Yet community is more than proximity. It is not simply neighbors living down the hall. In its truest sense, community is an intricate web of relationships, shared experiences, mutual support, and meaningful engagement. It is belonging, connection and purpose.
At The Highlands at Wyomissing®, community is not a slogan. It is something lived and is best described by the people who call it home.
“The Highlands is a large active community, and the residents will do anything for each other,” said Bill Laubach who has served as chair of the grounds and maintenance committee and the marketing committee and has spent many hours weeding and planting in the community gardens as well as in other flower beds around campus. Bill and his wife Cindy also enjoy visiting friends in Aspire for Well-Being® Nursing and Memory Care, and Cindy plays in a ukulele club that participates in singalong programs each month in Aspire for Well-Being Nursing and Memory Care. Cindy has also worked with other residents to produce programs that have brought laughter and a sense of camaraderie to the Highlands’ community.
Cindy and Bill are both wonderful examples of what community looks like at The Highlands. It looks like neighbors checking in and visiting you if you move to a higher level of care or a walking partner who notices when you’ve missed your morning loop. It looks like friends who save you a seat for dinner at the community table, spirited discussions, weekly chapel gatherings, Sports Talk, volunteer outreach, and committees that shape campus life. It is a shared life being built together.
For many residents, what begins as a search for safety becomes something deeper.
“People always told us how safe and secure they felt at The Highlands,” said Reneé Dietrich, “But we soon realized it is more than safety from crime. It is security from living in a caring community that comes together to provide comfort and support to one another.”
Reneé serves on the scholarship committee and volunteers in the gift shop. She and her husband Bruce both enjoy the cultural and educational programs as well as having access to the fitness center at The Highlands. They also love the openness and kindness of fellow residents and fondly remember when they were new residents and forgot to make a reservation in the Club Room, and a resident couple without hesitation asked them to join their table. They soon came to realize that such is the culture of The Highlands, where residents share everything from expert knowledge and professional advice to magazines, books, newspapers, and, of course, seats at your dining table.
Residents don’t simply live here. They serve on committees, lead book clubs, organize prayer and rosary groups, mentor one another, and welcome newcomers. The Hospitality Committee hosts monthly dinners for new residents, and through the First Neighbor program, check in on them until they feel comfortable navigating their own way. Birthdays are celebrated with special monthly gatherings in the Terrace Room. Support groups provide space for those navigating grief or supporting a loved one in memory support.
“There is so much offered here. You can be as busy — or not — as you want to be,” shared Caroline Dunford who serves on the Highlands Marketing Committee and volunteers in the gift shop. “The programs and entertainment are very special. I enjoy the musical programs and the Great Courses.”
Community at The Highlands is dynamic and self-directed. There is freedom, but there is also opportunity. For some, retirement becomes a season of unexpected growth. Fred Chow was pleased he could continue gardening, but he discovered even more through weekly art and music lectures.
“There are dozens of people here all doing different things, some that I have never heard of,” he said. “That opened our eyes to new things and even sometimes to learn a better way to do something. My wife and I really enjoyed the chance to learn and grow in our retirement.”
Others speak of peace of mind alongside renewed involvement. Before moving in Karen Miller wondered who she would connect with and what she might do once she got here. Today she serves on the Board of Directors, acts as Secretary of the Grounds and Maintenance Committee, sings in the chorus tenor section, maintains a garden plot, and is a regular in the fitness center. She describes her decision to move as “an enormous insurance policy.”
Wellbeing here is holistic, and our new Engaged Program gives residents many opportunities to get involved physically, intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually. From fitness classes and swimming to lectures, musical programs, worship services, and small group gatherings, the rhythm of life supports the whole person.
Milton Ripple, AKA “Rip,” fills his days with activities including Bone Builders, Arthritis Ability, Zumba, water aerobics, cornhole, bocce, beanbag baseball, tending his garden bed, and veterans’ programs. His calendar is full, but more importantly, so are his connections.
Community, then, is not simply proximity. It is shared experience, generosity of spirit, as well as the freedom to engage deeply or quietly knowing you are part of something larger than yourself.
Joyce Eager offers this advice to those considering a move: “Come while you can enjoy being here because there is so much to do.”
Perhaps that is the heart of it. Community is not something you wait for. It is something you step into and, if you are lucky enough to live at The Highlands, it is ready to welcome you.
If you’re interested in hearing more about The Highlands Community, please call a Life Plan Advisor today at 484-220-8235.