Celebrating Independence at The Arbors at Stoughton

Independence is what The Arbors at Stoughton is all about. After all, your independence is important to you – and to us.

“Young-spirited”, “interesting”, and “dynamic” is how Brittany Ricketts, activities director at Stoughton, describes residents of the assisted living community. Independence, she says, is not an issue with these active seniors; keeping up sometimes is. “They’re looking for things that are going to challenge them,” she says.

Outside Adventures

Part of challenging themselves is going outside the very comfortable environs of The Arbors at Stoughton. That includes trips to the grocery store every Monday and frequent drives to nearby attractions.

Just recently, they traveled to the waterfront in Plymouth, stopping for a meal at the Lobster Hut. And they had lunch at Johnny Macaroni’s at East Bridgewater. Brittany notes that while lunch is usually part of the experience, it is rarely the reason for the jaunt.

She’s scheduled a trip to Castle Island near Boston, where residents will hopefully be able to view the tall ships leaving harbor and will definitely be able to enjoy a picnic at Sully’s.

Community Involvement

 

Residents are involved in the community in many different ways. As part of our public awareness campaign to dispel myths surrounding assisted living, we dined at the Sharon Adult Center/Council on Aging.

Recently, we joined area seniors to give them an idea of life at The Arbors at Stoughton and enjoy lunch at the Canton Council on Aging, too.

 

We raise funds for The Walk to End Alzheimer’s. And several residents—Goldie, Myrna and Gloria—volunteer at Old Colony YMCA child care, where the mutual affection between seniors and children is palpable.

Fun at Home

There’s plenty to do for residents who prefer to stay home. Morning fitness classes include different kinds of workouts and tools, such as noodles, Apple TV, exercise bands and more.

Programs for intellectual wellness haven’t been neglected either. Residents can play word mining or other word games, bingo, fun facts and more. Brittany says Comfort Care’s musical bingo and “You Be the Judge” are two of the most popular activities. As part of “You Be the Judge”, residents listen to testimony in a real court case and state their opinions before listening to the actual judge’s decision.

Music can be heard in all areas of the building and, in summer, outside. “We try to keep music in the building as frequently as possible,” notes Brittany.

Sometimes, Brittany and resident pianist Helen play favorites as residents sing along. Frequently, the Wednesday social, with musicians such as Dan Hart (below) or Dick Mandel, is held outside in the courtyard.

 

“We’re trying to utilize the entire property, as well as getting residents outside in the fresh air,” says Brittany.

The gardening club gets together to plant the community garden, with the more stalwart members of the group making time to water and tend the plants on a daily basis.

The fun doesn’t stop when the weather changes. Every winter, we hold a craft fair.  Our amazingly creative community members make many of the crafts.

 

Residents enjoy a travelogue with associated food and activities each month, too. May’s topic of Mexico celebrated Cinco de Mayo with margaritas, chips and salsa. Resident Care Assistants (RCAs) from Haiti spoke about their culture during June’s travelogue about Cape Verde while everyone munched on Haitian favorites.

An added benefit, Brittany says, is “the RCAs are really excited about being pulled into the conversation. It’s great to see my RCAs interact with residents. It’s nice to see them have fun with them, too.”

 

Community members frequently invite families for crafts and other types of fun, such as this get-together to make apple pies.

 

Spiritual Life

Spiritual life is important at The Arbors at Stoughton, too. Because residents’ religions are so varied, shabbat is celebrated on Friday with a local rabbi, residents pray the rosary every Wednesday, and mass is held every Sunday.

Last October, Rabbi Gurkow led services for the new year.

Exceeding Resident Expectations

The priority at every Arbors is meeting resident needs and exceeding their expectations. That’s why The Arbors at Stoughton holds Cocktails and Conversations once a month so management, staff, and residents can interact.

The Resident Council is a forum for community members to voice any comments or concerns, ranging from timeliness of showers to food variety to building maintenance. “If they have any concerns whatsoever, I keep notes and provide a form to management. In about 2 weeks, they come back to me with their follow-up as to how they’ve rectified the situation,” Brittany explains.

“We want them to feel their voices are heard by us,” she adds.

The Arbors at Stoughton Is Unique

While each Arbors community follows professional guidelines and standards, each community is unique, just as each community member is unique. Stoughton’s distinctiveness is part of what makes it a vibrant, active, and exciting place to live.