Columbia Cottage Linglestown: A better way to age in place, with homelike settings and 10 levels of care

Say “aging in place,” and it conjures visions of an elderly person enjoying all the comforts of home. Now, the idea is rising to new levels of convenience, easy living, and safety. Imagine home-cooked meals, without the prep and cleanup. Outdoor living, without the lawn mowing. Days full of choices, without the worry of how to safely manage daily tasks or coordinate a retinue of home care providers.

Welcome to Columbia Cottage Linglestown, the only licensed assisted living community in Dauphin County, now open in beautiful Blue Ridge Village, Lower Paxton Township. Columbia Cottage Linglestown brings to the Harrisburg area a home where aging in place is graceful, worry-free, and secure. The layout and amenities of Columbia Cottage are purpose-designed for a homelike atmosphere, right down to the breezy front porch. Columbia Cottage’s renowned 10 levels of care deliver care plans customized to the distinct needs of every resident.

Put it all together, Columbia Cottage truly offers the comfort of aging in place plus the peace of mind that comes from individualized assisted living. Columbia Cottage is already a recognized presence throughout central and eastern Pennsylvania, owned by Lancaster-based Horst Group and well known for committing to the well-being of residents, their families, staff, and the community.

When choosing a senior living community, consider these elements:

• Licensed assisted living. In Pennsylvania, assisted living supports independence and personal choice while assuring care up to the highest levels needed. Columbia Cottage was the first company in Pennsylvania to license multiple communities for assisted living, way back in 2011. All those years of experience add up to knowledgeable delivery of daily support.
• Caregivers who care. Any facility can train its people in how to do the job, but Columbia Cottage hires for the heart. At Columbia Cottage Linglestown, our staff becomes an extension of every resident’s family, building personal, attentive relationships.
• Personalized care. Columbia Cottage’s personalized care offers a break from institutionalized living. Columbia Cottage originally designed seven levels of care, but in 2020, those seven were elevated to an unprecedented 10 levels, to meet the intensifying needs of residents.
• Customized, chef-prepared meals. At home, you can walk into your kitchen and make what you like for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Of course, someone has to fill the pantry, and there are all those dishes to wash. At Columbia Cottage Linglestown, meal plans are customized to each resident’s likes, dislikes, and dietary needs. The certified executive chef oversees a menu brimming with goodness, and everything is made from scratch.

Columbia Cottage uses technology and finely honed systems to deliver the 10 levels of care. Every arriving resident undergoes a 36-point assessment for a holistic picture of their needs, and Columbia Cottage staff work with residents and families to devise a plan. Those 10 levels of care aren’t slots for the resident to fill but a guideline for the type and amount of care needed while still affording dignity and personal choice.

Every three months, or as needed, the care plan is reevaluated, and when circumstances change, it’s Columbia Cottage – not the resident – that adapts. Residents don’t have to endure the disruption of moving to another unit just because they need more care. In fact, one of the most beautiful, and differentiating, aspects of life at Columbia Cottage is that married couples can stay together in their apartments. Columbia Cottage doesn’t force them to split up when one spouse needs more intensive care.

All of this personalized care comes wrapped in an unparalleled setting. Columbia Cottage Linglestown consists of four neighborhoods. Three neighborhoods are Assisted Living with 17 apartments and one neighborhood is designed for Memory Care with 22 apartments. All residents have access to their neighborhood’s kitchen, living room, and courtyard where they can build lasting friendships.

Columbia Cottage Linglestown carefully crafts an experience that delights every day. Features include:

• Outdoor living. With three courtyards, plus arbors, patios, and a walking path, residents can experience the beauties of nature while chatting with friends or having some quiet time. The front porch is a popular spot for rocking and sipping homemade lavender lemonade. And whether the weather is fine or inclement, residents love gathering in the sunroom for Bible study, music, birdwatching, or book club.
• Fun things to do. At Columbia Cottage, even the activities are customized according to the resident’s care plan. Visiting clergy hold services. Residents gather around bingo, card games, and puzzles, or they can catch a flick on movie night in the bistro. A Mother’s Day tea allowed residents to host family and friends for a springtime celebration.
• Medical care. Nurses are on staff 24/7, for rapid response to any medical concerns. Physicians, psychiatrists, dietitians, and beauticians visit regularly, for wellness in body and spirit. Onsite rehab helps residents achieve peak performance without traveling for appointments off campus.
• Memory Care: Columbia Cottage Linglestown’s state-of-the-art memory care unit. Sensory stations include artworks that residents can touch for tactile stimulation. Access to a secure patio gives residents safe and secure access to the benefits of greenery. The Columbia Cottage Linglestown ice cream parlor is even located in the memory care neighborhood, for a treat that everyone can enjoy.
• All employees, working in memory care and all other neighborhoods, receive extra training in dementia care from a certified dementia practitioner, assuring that the behavioral needs of every resident are met.

Like every Columbia Cottage community, Columbia Cottage Linglestown is nestled in the heart of a thriving community. Residents and their families have instant access to the restaurants, pharmacy, coffee shop, dry cleaner, microbrewery, and other services of Blue Ridge Village. Families can even live near their loved ones in Blue Ridge Village’s choice of contemporary townhomes, single-family homes, apartments, and 55+ villas.

For assisted living in homelike comfort, come to Columbia Cottage Linglestown, 1000 Alexandra Lane, Harrisburg, PA 17110. To schedule a tour or learn more, visit www.columbiacottage.com/locations/linglestown, or call 717-547-9781.