Update on senior citizen communities in Meridian Neighborhood

Highgate Senior Living, located in the Meridian Neighborhood, is currently connecting their Assisted Living community to their Memory Care community, which is the last phase of their remodeling project, said Director of Residence Services Marcie Suppe.  Highgate Senior Living is an Assisted Living and Memory Care home for senior citizens, and has been established in Bellingham for almost twenty years, said Suppe. She said that alongside the abridging of communities, there will be new carpets, reorganization of infrastructure, an expansion of the activity space and creation of a new dining room. In the meantime, Suppe said no one will have to relocate. She said the remodeling should be done within the next couple of months.

“When we originally built Highgate, our Memory Care community was separate from our Assisted Living community. We learned that it is important that the communities are connected,” said Adam Bryan, vice president of sales.  “Originally, the residents would have to walk outside to get from one community to the other,” Bryan said.

“Now, you’re not going to that other building when you need memory care help. You’re just going to another part of the same building,” Bryan said. “Psychologically, it goes a long way.”

Highgate’s Bellingham campus is one of nine Highgate Senior Living residences in the United States, and was the first Highgate community to be built, said Suppe. The staff at Highgate specializes in aiding individuals that require a lot of care.

“People that have high needs don’t scare us,” Suppe said. “We don’t look at ourselves as a clinical facility; we look at ourselves as our resident’s home.”

Suppe said the staff at Highgate always tries to find the root of a resident’s problem before resorting to medication. She said they want to find out the underlying issue and modify the environment before going to the doctor.

“We want to make sure all medications are necessary and appropriate,” Suppe said. “We want our residents to have the best quality of life possible.”

Bryan said that Highgate has a commitment to holistic living, and is not a facility where one will find pill-popping happening among residents.

“You don’t see a lot of our residents sedate and drooling on themselves,” Bryan said. “What’s more important is that we provide social structure, rather than heavy medical structure.”

Various aromatherapy techniques, use of essential oils, and creation of specialized tea are a few examples of Highgate’s holistic approach, said Bryan. If there is an upset resident, a staff member will take them for a walk, give them a hand massage, or just sit down and talk with them, he said.

“At home, most people have a purpose in life: get up and take care of kids when you’re young, save up and retire when you’re middle aged. When you’re a senior, we want to make sure there’s still a purpose to get out of bed,” Bryan said. “We work closely with our residents to find out what makes them tick.”

A supportive and a comfortable environment is essential to a successful living experience as a senior, said Katherine Collinson, who works as the the secretary for the board of directors at Ankar Retirement Park. Ankar Retirement Park is a cooperative housing community that has been in the Meridian Neighborhood for twenty-five years, said Collinson. She said that Bellingham is a good place to retire because it is relatively large in size, there are plenty of activities, and people have access to medical support. Everybody at Ankar Retirement Park is expected to be capable of independent living, and socializing is a big proponent of daily life, she said.

“There are a lot of activities and ways to get to know your neighbors,” Collinson said. “You don’t feel uncomfortable living by yourself.”

Highgate Senior Living’s Vice President of Sales’ Adam Bryan said that focusing on what makes senior citizens happy is more important than focusing on their ailments.

“Do you pick a residence where your loved one is happy and has a purpose, or is playing bingo all the time? It is important to make sure everyone still has goals,” Bryan said.