Tag Archives: retire in Atlanta

A Week in the Life of A Park Springs Member

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Welcome to Park Springs, where Members, not residents, make up our amazing community. It is our Members who make Park Springs what it is and create the unique experience that sets us apart. Below is a first hand account of a week in the life of a Park Springs Member, Mr. Stauss.

It has been an exciting week for Park Springs Members.
There were so many Members joining the Dining Club venture to Dante’s Down The Hatch restaurant that we had to take the big red bus. The intriguing name of the restaurant alone was adequate to perk our interest and get the week started with a fun and enticing event. Dante’s was designed around an 18th century sailing ship concept where ship cabins seat small groups to enjoy the experience of a delicious fondue diner. The hostess fired up the oil pots while we sipped drinks and indulged on the delicious bread. The menu offered many fine items to choose from. I ordered the mandarin combo, which included cut up pieces of chicken, pork, beef, shrimp and vegetables. Each bite was cooked to perfection on the long fondue forks. We enjoyed the live entertainment of a guitar player right behind our table. The diner encouraged much fun and friendly conversation with great food. The Dining Club experience was enjoyed by all.
We finished the last of theOsher Lifelong Learning (OLLI) series, Great Decisions, with a most interesting lecture on Indonesia, a country many of us knew very little about. These lectures have been extremely interesting and well presented by experts in their field. The lectures were thought provoking and very informative. We all look forward to the next series as soon as theclasses can be scheduled.
On Wednesday, Simone escorted a group of fifteen residents on an architectural tour of Buckhead and downtown Atlanta. We picked up Jim Howe, a professional architectural guide in the Atlanta area to show us around. Many of us knew him from his guided tour of Northern Atlanta and his visual presentation of Western Europe. Jim led us on a leisurely tour through the Buckhead community pointing out many architecturally outstanding homes of the rich and famous ofAtlanta. We learned to identify the four basic styles of Greek architecture displayed on many of the house columns. This part of the tour was completed in time to have a delicious lunch at Six Feet Under, right across the street from the famous Oakland Cemetery. The restaurant is noted for its delicious fish dishes and many of us had their famous shrimp or fish baskets, which included their thin sliced fried potatoes. Everyone reported that they enjoyed their lunch.
We then took a bus tour around Oakland Cemetery with frequent stops for information regarding the history and significance of the cemetery. We then toured downtown, midtown and uptown Atlanta with interesting briefings regarding the architect, architectural significance and history of many of Atlanta’s famous buildings. It was noted that several of the downtown buildings were designed by world famous architects like I. M. Pei and Richard Meier. We then drove through Olympic Park to end up at the world famous Peach Tree Christian Church. The church is famous for its world-class stained glass windows. The church minister escorted us through the sanctuary explaining each window and how they depicted the birth, life and crucifixionof Christ. The church is world famous and is more beautiful than any that I have seen in Europe.
It was a great week for Park Springs Members, which provided many opportunities for site seeing, entertainment, knowledge of the area and great dining.
-Park Springs Member, William S.

For more information on Park Springs and how you can live in one of Atlanta’s premiere retirement communities, visit ParkSpringsCommunities.com or call 800-267-7126.

A Big Thank You to the Park Springs Staff

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Michael Heselbarth - Executive Director

 

The following is a letter written to Michael Heselbarth, Executive Director, from the daughter of one of our Park Springs Members, thanking the staff for their years of the utmost love and support while caring for her parents.

 

 

 

Dear Mr. Heselbarth,

Our family is incredibly grateful to Park Springs for so many reasons the past three and a half years or so, and this letter is an attempt to reflect on what your Atlanta assisted living community in its entirety has meant to us. Transitioning one’s parents through these years is difficult and challenging for everyone, but Park Springs, being who you are in the sum total, has made it a great deal easier and a more pleasant, richer experience. Your caring, positive staff plus whatever else you do to bring out the best in everyone makes a huge difference in the day to day life, especially for the people with physical and emotional challenges in these stages. You all have a community that even makes it fun!

Starting with Anresa Davis, Senior Residency Counselor, before my parents moved to Park Springs, here is a lady meant to spend whatever amount of time it took to understand and be comfortable with such a move. She treated them with respect and dignity, assuredness and pleasantness.

Once moved in, they’ve had such a pleasant time with the many interesting and caring co-retirees that also chose to retire in Atlanta. The size of your population is wonderful and allows people an easy flow of choices as they wish, with lots of opportunities for enjoyment.

The staff in the dining rooms have taken particular interest and care of the residents, which goes a long way with the challenges your population faces. It matters!

Our recent more difficult challenges with my Dad’s final illness and days, and my Mom’s illness, have particularly been made more bearable by the staff at Cobblestone. These were unfamiliar waters to us in every sense of the word. Starting with my parent’s main nurse, who came to the unit at the time of emergency, and at every other difficult turn, her quiet, reserved grasp of the situation and ability to provide to all of us the necessary information and intuitive care, was huge. The other nurses and healthcare providers helped us with the “big picture” in every respect.

For me, the particular care from my parent’s main healthcare providers and many others, with the direct, very personal care to both of my parents within the Atlanta assisted living community, was deeply touching and caring. As I mentioned in my Dad’s memorial service, “these precious faces walked us through these unfamiliar difficult times, held our hands, and gave us hugs along the way.”

My Mom thinks of Dr. White as the first doctor she has ever had who truly listens and cares about her wellbeing. It has been a great comfort, even as sick as she was also for the duration, to have her guiding us through my Dad’s last days and my Mom’s illness. And who wouldn’t be perked up by Shona Alexander, Director of Clinical & Homecare Services, and the other health care staff?

The other unusual and daily uplifting occurrences were the uncanny seeming to know almost immediately, greetings from the staff in the halls, “how are your parents/Dad/Mom doing?” including the young man who delivered dinner to my Mom’s door with a mention of “I’m sorry for your loss.” It’s more like friends and family, rather than an employee just getting a job done. Thank you staff!

Yes, there are sometimes issues with parking or not getting a Tylenol on time, but Park Springs’ all encompassing essence has truly been a blessing. All the effort you go to in order to achieve this is well worth it in a realm about the “bottom line.” We are very grateful that my parents found just the right place for this stage of their life.

With ever good wish,

A Park Springs Member’s Daughter

Park Springs Announces In-Home Assistance Service

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A service that used to only be offered to our members is now expanding. We now offer personal in-home care services to residents who retire in Atlanta, Cobb, DeKalb, Forsyth, Fulton and Gwinnett Counties. The services provided are designed to enhance patient’s health and quality of life. It helps patients recover and maintain independence, while in the security and comfort of their own home.

In addition to customization of care, Park Springs Home Care services also include: medication management; medication reminders; escort to appointments and errands, companionship, prescription pick-up, meal pickup, meal preparation, and light housekeeping.

Within our Atlanta retirement community, we also have certified Nurse Aides which provide assistance with bathing, grooming, dressing, cognitive impairment, mobility and memory stimulation. 

Possible reasons why an individual might need Home Care:
• Recovery from recent hip or knee replacement surgery
• To help alleviate the stress and strain of a recent hospital discharge
• Medication management
• Suffering from Dementia, Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s
• Additional assistance while in an Assisted Living or Nursing Home facility