It’s hard to keep up with all the social events happening at Mari de Villa, a retirement community in Town & Country with a long history. “It’s non-stop,” says president and CEO Fred Wiesehan, who also wears ‘activities director’ as one of his many hats. Some of these events take place on the leafy, 21-acre campus, others are off-site, just a luxury bus ride away.
“We bought the 15-seat motor coach a few years ago because we wanted our guests to travel in style,” Wiesehan explains. The coach delivers residents to restaurants, landmarks, shows and other entertainment around town, and even has taken them as far afield as the Augusta wineries. “It’s a matter of living comfortably and enjoying life to its fullest,” Wiesehan says.
On-site activities include weekly Sunday brunches and special Wednesday night dinners in the Club House, bridge and book groups, fitness classes, water aerobics and daily live music. But Mari de Villa provides a lot more than entertainment. Since 1960, when it first opened its doors, it has served as a home-away-from-home for its residents. “One of the most important considerations when moving to a retirement community is that it feels like home,” Wiesehan explains, “and we do everything we can to make that so.”
Offering different levels of care is another key component, he notes, because it means that seniors are able to ‘age in place,’ and don’t have to move on when their needs change. He cites the different options available at Mari de Villa, which include 54 independent living Villa Estates, 24-hour, skilled nursing offered in the Villa East and Villa West buildings, and memory care provided in The Terraces. “Often, guests who have resided in one of our independent villas find themselves in need of more services, and then the transition to the nursing facility is seamless,” Wiesehan says. “No matter where they move on campus, everything is still familiar. They’re still ‘home’”—a comforting thought for them and their families, he says.
The Villa Estates are condominium-style units that range in size from 1,000 to 3,000 square feet. Wiesehan says many have screened porches, fully equipped kitchens and garages, even elevators in some cases. Villa Estates residents also have the peace of mind provided by a 24/7 medical emergency monitoring system that will respond to them if the need arises.
Meanwhile, seniors in need of more assistance with daily living activities (bathing, dressing, meals, etc.) receive care in the skilled care facility, while those with dementia live in The Terraces, where Wiesehan says particular attention has been paid to therapeutic design. “We worked closely with the St. Louis chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association to create an environment that is both beautiful and calming to those with Alzheimer’s,” he says. The association also facilitated a staff training program on how best to interact with residents suffering from memory loss.
“The comfort and overall physical, mental and spiritual well-being of each resident are at the heart of everything we do,” Wiesehan says. “At Mari de Villa, families can rest assured that their loved one’s unique cognitive challenges receive the highest level of care and attention possible.”
Mari de Villa offers a complete range of retirement living options, from independent living to a variety of 24-hour care options, including skilled nursing and memory care. For more information, call 636.227.5347 or visit maridevilla.com.
Photo courtesy of Mari de Villa
Cover design by Allie Bronsky | Cover photo by Bill Barrett
