These moments reflect part of the Via Elegante experience that we’re delivering each and every day. How do we do it? With only ten residents per home, caregivers get to know our residents and can provide care that’s not only good for their health, it’s good for the spirit and it’s fun!

At Via Elegante, Marge and a caregiver had fun making a gingerbread haunted house together. It made for a fun and creative afternoon and a fantastic, unique Halloween decoration.

Millie, Mary Ellen, and Ruth made the most of a beautiful, mild day with a festive lunch on the garden patio. The caregivers picked flowers for everyone and we all enjoyed lunch in the garden serenaded by the birds!

Jane, a resident of The Galleria, invited three friends over for an afternoon of wine and cheese. The caregivers lavishly decorated a table and set it with gourmet crackers, specialty cheeses, sliced apples and nuts. She was able to entertain her guests in style and everyone was very impressed and appreciative, and best of all they had a really fun afternoon.

Today we celebrated a resident’s birthday with DVDs of her favorite concert pianist, Glenn Gould. Not only was she delighted to rwatch them, but it turned out that a few of her neighbors watched some of the DVDs with her, creating a very special evening at Via Eleganté.

The residents at The Galleria spent the afternoon with caregivers planning their menus for the upcoming week. We all reminisced about our favorite childhood meals, shared ideas for our community menu, and made plans to prepare our favorite dishes during the coming week.

One of the residents at The Vineyard joins us for our weekly grocery shopping. We have fun selecting the freshest produce and bakery items and we scout for surprises to purchase for his friends and neighbors at The Vineyard.

At The Vineyard, one of our residents and a caregiver share a common ancestry. When they’re not talking about Polish culture, they’re having fun cooking traditional Polish dishes together. Recently, they planned a community Oktoberfest at The Vineyard and delighted all of us with a wonderful selection of Polish and German dishes! Prost!

We recently created a picture board of all of our residents at The Galleria. It features past and current photos of each resident with a short statement about who they are! It’s beautiful and brought tears to some of the caregivers' eyes to learn even more about our residents.

Tuesday of this week we took advantage of the cooler weather. Residents and caregivers at The Mediterranean enjoyed the evening meal outside in the garden. We all thought it was a great Fall treat to dine al fresco with the flowers, the birds and the view!

Today one of The Galleria caregivers spent some one-on-one time with a non-communicative resident by taking her out for a walk. This resident will not participate in regular activities and is sometimes difficult to engage. Today she lit up with smiles and enthusiasm as the caregiver picked her a few flowers and talked with her. To the caregiver’s surprise, she became very communicative, answering questions and communicating her wishes through gestures. Her family is thrilled and best of all, we now know how to make her healthier and happier here at Via Eleganté.