EverTrue Breeze Park in Weldon Spring is called a Life Plan Community for a reason. It offers all levels of living and care for older adults, including Independent Living, Assisted Living, Memory Support and a Care Center for short- or long-term care.
“EverTrue Breeze Park truly is a community in every sense of the word,” says executive director, Tammy Hempen, “Our mission is ‘Older adults living life to the fullest.’”
Part of that mission is a focus on wellness: six dimensions of wellness that include physical, spiritual, emotional, social, environment and intellectual aspects.
“Each activity at EverTrue Breeze Park targets a wellness category,” Tammy says. “So, the residents can focus on spiritual wellness by attending the Bible study or a lecture, while also benefiting from social wellness because they're sharing with other people.”
For the focus of physical wellness, “Many of our residents exercise at least five times a week,” says Jes Gustafson, director of community wellness. Jes oversees the gym and pool, teaches exercise classes and facilitates one-on-one sessions with the residents. “They're very engaged in keeping their bodies moving. They exercise more than I do.”
EverTrue Breeze Park is a community of the EverTrue organization, which has operated in Missouri, Illinois and Pennsylvania for 166 years. The Weldon Spring location opened April 15, 1996.
EverTrue Breeze Park has a walking path, a concierge, transportation, housekeeping and laundry services. There is an on-site movie theater, swimming pool, library, game rooms and multiple dining options and culinary programs. There's even a resident-led wine club, and residents are able to use community spaces for private parties. Living accommodations include spacious, multiroom residences and private patio homes.
“You have a distinct lifestyle, filled with dreams, passions and goals. At EverTrue Breeze Park, we understand this and support it,” Tammy says.
EverTrue Breeze Park residents are encouraged to try new skills and perfect old talents through arts and crafts, workshops and classes, cultural events and exhibitions. These types of activities have been shown to release feel-good hormones, increase self-worth and provide social connections.
Residents also can enjoy lifestyle enrichment activities, including shopping and day trips, lunches and dinners, mystery trips and multi-day excursions. “We went to Yellowstone recently. We also took a float trip down the Meramec River. We're taking a trip to the Mediterranean next fall,” Tammy says. “Residents actually pick the trips themselves. This will be intellectual, because we’re going to look at the antiquities, but also social, because we're going as a group. This January, we have a group going to the Western Caribbean.”
She says that trip is for all residents, “no matter what physical limitations,” with qualified nursing attendants for residents who have medical needs.
EverTrue Breeze Park also offers classes in its memory support care. “The classes bring our residents together so they use more of their brain versus just word finding or cognitive problem solving,” says Tammy. “It also helps with engagement and socializing, offering some fun.”
Jen says local school kids often visit residents. “It's an intergenerational program, so they may be doing a craft where they're socializing with the kids as well as learning something new. It's anywhere from kindergarten to high school kids.”
A group of high school boys come in to play pool and volleyball with residents, she says. “We have one resident who will try to show them up by doing a cannonball into the pool. I'm not kidding you. We have some amazing independent residents who really live life to the fullest.”
“We can always find something new for our residents to try or something that'll make them laugh,” Jen says. “We actually have kids of residents who are on our wait list to move in, because they see how much their parents love it.”
Tammy says team members at EverTrue Breeze Park are dedicated and caring. “Many of our management and long-term employees have been here for 30-plus years. My co-workers are like family. The residents are like family.”
Every level of care has its own resident and family member council as well, Tammy says. “They have a say of what they want to do. For instance, our independent living got on a kick to educate the other residents on a Mediterranean diet.”
EverTrue Breeze Park has a horticulture program where residents do flower arranging or gardening. “In our memory support care, we have a wall of fake flowers that residents can take back to their rooms,” said Tammy. “It’s been a popular addition.”
Tammy says EverTrue Breeze Park also incorporates proven technology to encourage cognitive and emotional well-being. The facility has a Tovertafel table that interacts with human touch, so residents can move images and play games with each other. Musicians come to play and sing for residents.
Though real pets are allowed, EverTrue Breeze Park also uses battery-operated dementia-care pets, like dogs, cats and birds for memory support residents. “If you pet them, certain trigger points will have them move, meow or bark or scratch their bellies. They're so cute and very lifelike. We're an animal-friendly community.”
There is a chaplain on staff as well as a music therapist, and speakers visit regularly. “If there's something our residents are interested in, we'll try and find someone who knows about it,” Tammy explains.
Staffers and residents alike have taught subjects such as sign language, dance, painting and woodworking.
“We have a lot of amazing, talented people,” Tammy says. “To be a part of a community like EverTrue Breeze Park, is to be surrounded by talent.”
“EverTrue Breeze Park is a community in every sense of the word. Our mission is 'Older Adults Living Life to the Fullest.’”~Executive Director Tammy Hempen