There's No Place Like Home

Pickersgill Retirement Community

Nursing is Cherrie Fleagle’s life. The Pickersgill Retirement Community Director of Assisted Living Resident Services has spent 42 years in the field, and spends days at Pickersgill connecting with family members, talking with residents, and making rounds at area hospitals where residents are admitted for acute care.

Fleagle is always on call. There is always a charge nurse on duty. And she always knows that residents at Pickersgill are getting the greatest care possible.

“The best compliment comes when I go and see residents at the hospital, and the first thing they say to me is, ‘I want to go home.’ And ‘home’ for them is Pickersgill—that’s the atmosphere we work so hard to create for them,” Fleagle said.

From the outside, Pickersgill may look like a large building, but it’s really a small, close-knit community. Residents are always enjoying the company of other residents and staff. Employees walk through the hallways with smiles on their faces. Caregivers alert nurses the instant they have concerns about a resident. And activities for assisted living residents abound—everything from moderate exercise classes to games to visits from local community organizations. Everyone stays busy and happy.

“When we get a new staff member, the first thing I say to them is, ‘You are working in the resident’s home. The residents are not living where you work.’ If they understand that, they will be giving residents the respect and dignity they deserve, and we are living up to our end of the bargain,” she said.

Because Pickersgill is a continuing care retirement community, its assisted living residents have the advantage of having skilled nursing under one roof should they need more help.

“It’s a big advantage, and it’s really what sets us apart—that and the caring attitude of our staff,” Fleagle said.

Pickersgill Retirement Community is a nonprofit retirement community nestled among dogwoods on a beautiful campus in Towson, Md. Pickersgill has a tradition of excellence, and a rich history. Founded, and named after former board member Mary Pickersgill—the seamstress who inspired “The Star Spangled Banner” with her flag that waved over Fort McHenry—Pickersgill is the rare community that can claim it has dutifully served generations of seniors in the Baltimore area for more than 200 years. To find out more about our community, check out our website, find us on Facebook, or give us a call at 410-825-7423.