Harbour Assisted Living

Sherri Berghoff

Web: www.seniorlifestyle.com

   Harbour Assisted Living Corp. is actually owned by a corporation called Senior Lifestyles Corporation. Senior Livestyles Corporation was founded in 1985 by a single family in the Chicago area. They began by building new buildings to house their residential communities. Then as they started to reach out in other communities they looked for businesses that were already in existence that may have been struggling or not providing adequate care. They would purchase those buildings and create communities with innovative programs that help seniors enjoy healthier, more fulfilling lives. Harbour Assisted Living is one of those buildings which was purchased and converted into a premier residential community.

   From the wrap around porch to the red brick tower, Harbour Assisted Living looks more like a stately mansion than the stereotypical “old folks home”. As a matter of fact, as I spoke with Sherri Berghoff, Dir. Of Sales and Marketing she said, “We are not a nursing home. We are what is called assisted living. People have a hard time understanding the difference between the different levels of care. There is independent living, there is assisted living; which is the community that we are, and then the next level would be skilled nursing; or what people traditionally call a nursing home. The kind of thing we can provide people with is safety.”

   Bergoff explained more fully the safety that Harbour Assisted Living provides. Individuals commonly come to Harbour Assisted Living when there are daily tasks that they can no longer do on their own. Sometimes people have had multiple falls at home because their homes are not set up properly for their needs. Also, they see a lot of individuals come in that are a little malnourished because they either forget to eat or it’s very difficult for them to prepare their own meals. There are also those individuals that need help taking their medication because they forget to take them or they get confused. Harbour Assisted Living helps wherever the resident has need, without taking away the ability to live a beautiful independent lifestyle as well as they are able to.

   Harbour Assisted Living is comprised of studio and one bedroom apartments much like any other rental community. But along with each individual’s apartment, the building contains some very unique and beautiful common areas. There is the family room which contains the television and comfortable seating. Not far away was my favorite area called the bistro which has tables and chairs and a soda fountain. Then of course there is a common dining area for the residents. A couple of other nice additions is a private dining room which looked like anyone’s dining room in their home, which is used for private parties, and the aviary area containing a small flock of doves.

    Berghoff shared that each individual has their own preference as to how they use the building, “Each individual has their own apartment. Then of course they have the common areas that they can enjoy. Some use their apartment just as the bedroom and the rest of the building is their home. They watch TV in the living room area, they read their newspaper in the bistro area, and they have all of their meals in the dining room. Then there are others that live in their own apartment, they eat their meals in their own apartment, and occasionally come out and participate in the activities, but they pretty much live independently in their own apartment with whatever assistance it is that they need from us.”

   Because Harbour Assisted Living is a smaller community they really do have a more homey feel, much like a large family. There are 62 available apartments. Some of those can be shared by couples so there is a capacity for 73 individuals to live here in the community. Another reason Harbour Assisted Living has a more family atmosphere is because there are family gatherings, birthday parties for families, and anniversary celebrations where the whole family comes in much like anyone would have in their home.

   Berghoff shared, “The residents know my kids, my kids have been in and interacted with them. Their grandkids have been in and interacted with me. Everything that we do is geared toward creating a beautiful life for the individuals that enter our community. So whatever that highest quality of life is, that is what we are trying to provide.”

   Part of that quality of life provided at Harbour Assisted Living is a program that is called Dinning for Wellness. Every month there is a focus on the food that residents are eating and how that food can help them live a healthier life. For example in the month of this interview, the emphasis was on memory. The foods provided during that month were shown by experts to help people retain and build their memory; foods such as fresh berries. To provide this variety of healthful and flavorful foods Harbour Assisted Living has on their staff a culinary arts trained chef who prepares all of the meals completely from scratch; right down to the soup stock. If he wants chicken stock he doesn’t use bouillon cubes, he buys chicken on the bone and boils it to get his broth. That has a two fold benefit. One the food tastes better and two it is healthier because the amount of sodium, sugar, and other ingredients can be controlled to provide for those residents sensitive to those ingredients.

   Berghoff is passionate about elder care. She has an Associates Degree in Marketing and a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration. At this time she is working hard to finish a Masters Degree in Health Care Administration. I asked her what made her so passionate about elder care and she responded, “I think it comes from the wonderful love I have for my grandmother. As a kid, although she lived quite a distance, every summer I spent time with her. That was my summer vacation being at grandma’s house. I just have wonderful memories of her and throughout the year she was very supportive. She would send me little notes and bible verses and inspiration books. She was a wonderful example. And I guess just not having her around for my kids and missing that connection really drove me into the business I am now. It started in the skilled nursing center setting where the residents are a little more ill and you can’t really develop a one on one relationship with them because they are so sick. So I am really happy to be at the assisted living level. I love just having fun with them, spending time with them, and getting to hear their stories.”

   Berghoff, a past Chamber Board Chairperson, has been active in the New Haven Chamber of Commerce for many years. So naturally when she took her job a Harbour Assisted Living she made a point of having them join the Chamber. Having only been a member for a few months Harbour Assisted Living has not experienced a great deal of benefit by their membership as of yet. However, Berghoff knows that one of the biggest benefits to be had by Chamber membership is the opportunity as businesses to come together and learn from one another. She said, “Because of those experiences that we have together; we create one on one personal relationships so that we can confidently do business with one another and know that we are dealing with someone that is trustworthy and reliable; that they are going to do what they say they are going to do.”

   Berghoff finished our interview by sharing, “I still have people call this a nursing home and it is the farthest thing from a nursing home. Often people say, ‘I am going to put my parents there until they die.’ And although we can provide care right to the end of life in our building, this community is nothing about dying. This community is about increasing the quality of life, and giving people opportunity, in a safe place, to still have a whole lot of fun in their life.”