Still Deciding on a Retirement Community? Let Me Make it Easier on You

By Brant C. Hart, Pickersgill Retirement Community Executive Director

With several senior living communities to choose from in the Baltimore, Md., area, I can understand why some people have a hard time figuring out where to start their search. As the executive director of Pickersgill Retirement Community, I would suggest starting (and ending) with Pickersgill, of course, and I’ll give you a few simple reasons why:

1.  We are always improving: That might seem like a bit of a blanket statement, but it’s a true blanket statement. We are constantly looking ahead and constantly making upgrades in the community (we just finished a $1 million upgrade to our heating and cooling system), and it gets noticed. A State Department of Licensure employee recently made that comment to me: “Wow. You guys are always making improvements.” We are. We do it because we want residents to see their money in action, whether it’s in a fresh coat of paint in the hallways, WiFi throughout the community, new furniture in our lounge areas or upgrades to equipment used in all levels of care. We have a “replacement fund” for this very reason; our commitment to staying ahead of plant issues and senior living trends sets us apart from the rest.
2. We are affordable—and we maintain that: We keep rate increases to a minimum; on average, residents have seen only a 2 percent rate increase a year in rent since 1993 (and that’s about 3 percent less than many of our competitors). It’s been our mission—for 200 years—to make senior living affordable to seniors in the Baltimore, Md., area and we haven’t broken that promise yet.
3.  Dedicated staff: A good chunk of our good reputation is due to the good work performed every day by our dedicated staff. And I don’t mean that our staff just does their job well, and does it with a smile (which they do), but they keep that energy up for our residents for years, even decades. We have had employees retire after 30, 40, even 50 years of service. They all tell me they love coming to work each day because of the residents. If it weren’t for our community’s overarching commitment to providing excellent care to residents, we wouldn’t have dedicated staff like we have, and we wouldn’t have happy residents like we have, either.
4. Range of Assisted Living Offerings is Minimal: We don’t have a lot of add-ons, which—in some communities—can translate to ‘a lot of add-on fees.’ We offer residents an option to have limited assisted living help, or a more comprehensive assisted living package (which seem to be the two types of people who often need those accommodations). It makes sense to us, and saves cents for residents.
5. Spacious Skilled Nursing Rooms: As a continuing care retirement community, it’s important to us that not only are independent living residents comfortable, but residents in all levels of care—including skilled nursing—are feeling at home. Our skilled nursing rooms are each equipped with their own lavatory, and are very spacious when lined up against our competitors. “High levels of care” means a little more than top-notch medical assistance at Pickersgill (though you’ll get that, too); we value privacy and dignity, and we think residents value us for that very reason. 

Founded in 1802, Pickersgill Retirement Community is named after one of its early board presidents, Mary Pickersgill, the seamstress who created the American flag that inspired “The Star-Spangled Banner." Today the nonprofit retirement community offers a continuum of retirement living accommodations, including brand-new assisted living rooms and suites. To learn more, visit us online at www.pickersgillretirement.org, or feel free to give us a call at 410-825-7423.

Baltimore County Public Schools Health and Physical Education Coordinator to Address Residents and Guests at Volunteer Luncheon April 16

Sally Nazelrod says she will strive to share her love of volunteering and her experience with wellness programs when she addresses Pickersgill Retirement Community on April 16 for its volunteer luncheon.

Nazelrod, the health and physical education coordinator for Baltimore County Public Schools, will headline the Towson, Md., continuing care retirement community’s April 16 luncheon at 1 p.m. She plans to deliver an opening speech titled “The Wellness Star” to volunteers being honored for their service at the event.

“The speech is titled The Wellness Star after the five components of wellness,” Nazelrod said.  “Wellness is an overall sense of feeling good. It’s an overall feeling in the body, mind and spirit that you are at your best.”

The five components of wellness (physical, emotional, intellectual, social, and spiritual) are key to Nazelrod’s positive attitude toward volunteering and helping others.

“I always tell people that when you are volunteering, if you are having a bad day you need to leave it in the trunk of your car,” Nazelrod said. “Volunteers are in a position to really make a difference in someone’s life.”

Everyone who will attend the luncheon will be honored for their work at Pickersgill. The volunteers perform a variety of services such as assisting with activities, working in the gift shop, helping in the office, entertaining residents, helping to transport residents to activities or church services, sewing for residents, taking care of pets, and many more tasks.

Pickersgill Retirement Community volunteers are often in direct contact with residents, which Nazelrod says is one of the most important aspects of volunteering in a community like Pickersgill.  When volunteers arrive at Pickersgill, they often work one-on-one with residents to guarantee the utmost care and attention.

“Volunteers can come into a room and light up someone’s life,” Nazelrod said.  “When a person sees that someone cares, it can be the most positive influence of all.”

Nazelrod often combines her passion for promoting wellness and helping others.  Along with her job in Baltimore County Public Schools, which enabled her to write the physical activity component of the curriculum for the schools in Baltimore County, she is also involved in obesity and nutrition committees.

According to Nazelrod, volunteering is not just rewarding for those being helped. The volunteers themselves also gain an opportunity to learn and grow.

“When you volunteer and discuss aspects of wellness, whether it be personal wellness or spiritual wellness, you can also learn about yourself,” Nazelrod said. “The best part of volunteering is a positive outcome for everyone involved.”

 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.

Making the Move: Daughter is Happy Her Mother Feels at Home at Pickersgill

As Virginia Modjesky approached her 90s, she was beginning to think about moving out of her Dundalk, Md., townhouse into an affordable retirement community, and shared the news with her daughter, Virginia McCurdy, who was happy to help her mother search for the best place to suit her needs.

McCurdy began her search online, working off of stories she had heard about communities in the Baltimore, Md., area, and looking specifically for communities that her mother could afford. She narrowed her search to two places. After visiting Pickersgill and the other community, Virginia Modjesky chose Pickersgill, and placed her name on the list for an apartment.

Modjesky—who experiences bouts of vertigo, but is otherwise very independent—is now the happy resident of an independent assisted living apartment, where she does not require any help from the nursing team, and is otherwise free to go about her business like a resident of an independent living apartment.

The move brings great peace of mind to her daughter, and their family.

“I’m extremely pleased with it. I would highly recommend people checking it out. It’s bright, it’s clean, the people are friendly--I don’t know what else you could ask for. The meals are good—she’s probably eating more now than what she was at home, which is good. When we had the snow, I didn’t have to worry if she had food in the house, or if the power went off. We just don’t have to worry anymore,” McCurdy said.

McCurdy said that her mother moved into the community about a week before the worst winter storm of the season, which was perfect timing. She and her husband don’t dig out for major storms, and were relieved that they didn’t have to spend the rest of the relentless winter season worrying whether her mother had heat, enough food, or was doing well.

As a daughter who has always been close with her mother, McCurdy said that she paid attention to the many details of the communities they researched. She liked that the nursing staff answered any questions she had about services, that they suggested activities her mother might like, and were friendly. McCurdy attended a fair and a luncheon at the community over the time period in which they were on the wait list, and making their decision. She credited the vendors with helping the family to make the move, downsize and prepare for the transition.

Modjesky, who had been living on her own since 1995, did not have difficulty making the move, McCurdy said.

“She is very realistic and she sees ahead. She’s always been the one to say that she would never move in with either my brother or I; If she had to go someplace she would go someplace,” McCurdy said.

That independence, however, meant that much of Modjesky’s time was spent alone outside of church. It is also a great comfort to her children that their mother now seems to be making friends since moving to the community in January.

“Mom is beginning to think more of it as home. When she moved, she didn’t expect that she would be happy; she expected she would be contented. She hasn’t been happy since my father passed away 30 years ago; she’s been contended. But now she is more outgoing. Each time I go there, she introduces me to someone new, and is getting involved in activities,” McCurdy said. “Before, her only outlet was church, so she didn’t have a lot of contact with people otherwise. She seems to be adjusting very well to it. My brother says just the way she talks is very upbeat.”

 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.