Are you searching for caring Assisted Living in Bel Air, MD? The Hart Heritage Assisted Living facilities in Harford County, Maryland began 28 years ago, in the comfort of a family’s home in the town of Street, Maryland and has grown to be one of Harford County’s most sought-after and respected assisted living providers. The Skidmore family welcomed many elderly family members into their Harford County home. Beginning as a simple gesture of love and kindness and growing. More families in the Harford County and surrounding areas heard about the Skidmore family and the quality, special care they were providing.

 

Hart Heritage Estates Assisted Living

In 1990, the Hart Heritage Estates Assisted Living Facility was built and opened in the rural town of Street, Maryland with a capacity for 17 residents. The initial home where it all started was still taking care of 10 residents. Today, the Skidmores continue to be actively involved in the day-to-day operations of both facilities. Hart Heritage remains Harford County’s largest, family-owned provider of assisted living services.

 

Both the Street, MD and Forest Hill, MD communities of Hart Heritage Estates Assisted Living are licensed assisted living providers. We are recognized by the State of Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Office of Health Care Quality.

Our family and staff at Hart Heritage Estates are committed to treating each assisted living resident with dignity and respect. We provide the personal care and attention our residents deserve in a safe and loving environment.

We also provide specialized memory care services for our residents and community members who are caring for a loved one at home. These services are available at both the Street MD and the Forest Hill MD locations.

 

Dementia Care

Hart Heritage Assisted Living provides specialized dementia care and Alzheimer’s care for our residents with all forms of dementia. These include Parkinson’s dementia, Lewy Body dementia, vascular dementia and all other types of dementia. Residents receive individualized care, as well as the opportunity to participate in structured group activities. We provide 24/7 monitoring at our senior living facilities in the Bel Air area in Harford County, MD. We have state of the art security systems in place to ensure our residents’ safety.

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Respite Assisted Living Care

Short-term respite care can be a godsend for stressed-out caregivers. You can rest assured we will take excellent care of your loved one while you take time to take care of yourself. We provide respite care in both our Bel Air area locations in Forest Hill MD and Street MD.

Contact Us Now or call to schedule a tour of our Forest Hill location at 410-638-6047 and Street Community location at 410-836-1295. Both facilities are located just minutes from Downtown Bel Air, Fallston, Abingdon, Jarrettsville and surrounding areas.

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Our Resident Senior Care Facilities

Senior care is what we do. The comfort of your loved ones is our top priority. Our caregivers provide a place for mom or dad with long term and respite care, hospice services, dementia care, Alzheimer’s care, Parkinson’s care and more.

Assisted Living
Hart Heritage Assisted Living has two senior care facilities located in Harford County, MD; one in Forest Hill and the other in the town of Street.

Dementia Care
Both of the Hart Heritage locations are licensed dementia care facilities serving Harford County and northern Baltimore County. Our warm, welcoming assistance living homes provide round the clock care and supervision in a safe environment.

Respite Care
Hart Heritage Assisted Living provides respite care with short term stays designed so family members and caregivers who need to take some time off, have the opportunity to rejuvenate, and to take care of themselves.

 

Assisted Living Facilities In Harford County

Street, Maryland Location

 

The home-like senior care facility atmosphere is not just seen, but is felt by all who visit. Our residents know it and their families depend on it. Our spacious community living room gives our residents the opportunity to enjoy the companionship of others, while watching a large-screen TV or participating in our group sing-alongs.

Each of the 30 rooms for residential assisted living is beautifully decorated to include every convenience. Rooms include large sunny windows, private baths, wall-to-wall carpeting, and air conditioning.

The residents enjoy eating in our comfortable dining room. There are three delicious home-cooked, well-balanced meals and additional snacks served daily. Special diets are prepared for residents upon their doctors’ requests. Also available are accommodations for outside gatherings at the gazebo by the fishing pond including a gas grill for meal preparation for family members and friends.

Forest Hill, Maryland Location

 

Our newest caregiving facility location, in Forest Hill, is just five minutes north of Bel Air. Located on Route 24, the supportive living facility is situated at the end of a 1,500 foot driveway that leads to the grounds of Hart Heritage Estates of Forest Hill. This senior living facility was carefully planned to give our residents the look and feel of a contemporary design while maintaining a rural atmosphere. Nestled on 6.5 acres of park-like grounds, the residents have a front row view of nature at its finest. This residential care facility is adjacent to the Ma and Pa trail, and residents, family and friends can enjoy nature in every season. Woodland animals are everywhere. Most residents enjoy watching the wildlife interact from our dining room and their bedroom windows! This is a 45,000 square foot dwelling, with three floors, that was designed with space and place in mind. There are 44 resident bedrooms offering a variety from which to choose. With single rooms to double occupancies, we make it easy for you to find a safe and caring supported living facility for your loved one. We are certified to care for 55 residents whose needs may require a higher level of care and assistance, but do not want to be in a nursing home.

Both Harford County Assisted Living locations have caring staff who are dedicated to senior support services by offering care and comfort to every resident. We expect all our staff to conduct themselves with honesty and integrity.

Our staff includes:

• Licensed Facility Administrator
• State Licensed Registered Nurse
• State Certified Medication Technicians
• Resident Assistants
• Two Activity Coordinators

We also have a number of specialists available to our residents including:

• Rehab Therapy Specialist for physical, occupational and speech therapy
• Hospice
• Podiatrist
• Behavioral Health including a consulting Psychiatrist and Psychologist
• Dental Services
• Phlebotomy Services

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“I want to thank you and the entire Hart heritage family for all that each and every one of you did make the last year and a half of Kathyrn’s life one of comfort and joy. She expressed to me on every visit that if she could not be at home she wanted to spend her remaining years with you.  You all were amazing and went to the extra mile for Mrs Kerr and for me each time that I would visit.  I will never forget how great you were and will gladly refer my friends and clients to Hart Heritage.” – Alan Getz

“Thank you ALL, and I mean ALL for being so loving and supportive to my mom and me.
You all hold a special place in my heart for helping us move through this last phase of mom’s journey through life… Hugs!”
Sincere thanks – Sonia S.

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Hospice Care Relationships

While Hart Heritage Estates offers a caring and personalized assisted living experience, we are not a hospice; however, we do have a hospice room, at our Forest Hill location, set up for end of life needs available for both residents and non-residents and their families. It is comfortably furnished for the patient and provides space for family with reclining lounge chairs, a sofa and television. We contract with all Hospice agencies, and we do help coordinate hospice care for our residents who are approaching the end of life. We have relationships with several local hospice organizations in Harford and Baltimore counties who provide on-site hospice care for our residents as it is needed.

Hospice

Hospice care is a way of providing care for a person who is terminally ill, with a strong focus on quality of life. Hospice care is most helpful during the final six months of life expectancy. However, hospice does not always have to be an end of life experience. Due to the exceptional care provided by our dedicated Hart Heritage staff, some of our residents have been able to graduate from hospice and transition to resume their normal daily activities in our caring assisted living environment.

If you and a loved one are considering hospice care, you can contact one of the local hospice organizations listed below for more information.

Amedisys Hospice of the Greater Chesapeake (Rosedale, MD)

Seasons Hospice (Havre de Grace, MD)

Gilchrist Hospice Care (Baltimore, MD)

Stella Maris, Inc. Home Care (Timonium, MD)

“My family has been blessed by your Forest Hill home. Our mom lived there for nine months. Her last days with you and hospice were so comforting to us. Thank you for the loving support your staff showed us. We will continue to share with others how wonderful your facility us and especially the caring staff you have.” – The R. Family

Call us at one of our locations or contact us if you have any questions about hospice care or to set up a tour of our facilities.

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Independent Senior Living

Looking for independent senior living in Bel Air in the Harford County MD area?

Hart Heritage Estates offers spacious rooms, community activities, religious services, entertainment, beauty salon, a homey coffee cafe in the morning, our own walking trail for afternoon walks, and more… all free from cooking, laundry and household chores. Our independent living residents benefit from activities on their own or in groups while being monitored for safety.

Senior Living

Senior living at Hart Heritage is rewarding because all our seniors enjoy the amenities of our community as well as the company of each other. Our seniors enjoy the bonding relationships of friends made here. They love the homey atmosphere when their family and friends come to visit.  Even more important… family members delight in knowing that they are enjoying a fun, more fulfilled life at Hart Heritage.

Here at Hart Heritage assisted living, we realize that you have a number of choices when it comes to where to spend your golden years. We hope you’ll consider joining the Hart Heritage family as you age. Time and again, seniors tell us what truly matters to them. It is that they are comfortable and have the opportunity to make new friends their age. That they can dance when they want to dance, garden and enjoy the outdoors, exercise and cook in the cooking club if they want to. All the while living in a safe and caring community.

Our caring and thoughtful staff is dedicated to encouraging our independent and senior living residents so they get the most enjoyment out of life.  Our staff is continually engaging all our seniors with activities that make them feel youthful and stimulate their interests.

Call one of our locations or contact us today to discuss our MD senior living options or to schedule a tour so you can experience Hart Heritage Estates.

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Dementia Care Facilities

 

Both of the Hart Heritage locations are licensed dementia care facilities serving Harford County and northern Baltimore County. Our warm, welcoming homes provide a place for mom or dad with round the clock care and supervision in a safe environment.

 

According to the Geriatric Mental Health Foundation, an estimated four million Americans currently suffer from Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) or a related form of dementia. Nearly 10 percent of all people over age 65 and up to 50 percent of those over age 85 are thought to have AD or another form of dementia.

Our caring and knowledgeable staff provides individualized care for residents with at all stages. We care for those with emerging symptoms to those with advanced cases. We also provide short-term respite care for caregivers who just need a break from what can be an overwhelming situation.

 

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Alzheimer’s Care

 

We provide quality Alzheimer’s care. Did you know that Alzheimer’s Disease is the most common form of dementia in older people? Many families care for a relative with Alzheimer’s at home for as long as they can. When the time comes when that is no longer a good option, Hart Heritage with its two assistant living facilities is ready to help.

Harford County Alzheimer’s Care Facilities

 

Both of the Hart Heritage Estates locations provide Alzheimer’s care to residents with varying stages of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). According to the Geriatric Mental Health Foundation, approximately 19 million Americans have a family member with Alzheimer’s. Approximately 360,000 new cases occur each year. However, these numbers are increasing as the population of elderly increases. It is estimated that 14 million Americans will have AD by the middle of this century.

 

Alzheimer’s Care

People with AD tend to live with their spouses or families until the most advanced stages of the disease. While your relative with AD is still living at home, we do provide short-term Respite Care in Harford County. However, many families find that at some point in time, they need to place elderly relatives with advanced Alzheimer’s in an Alzheimer’s care home. Hart Heritage Estates is ready to help you when that time comes.

Our friendly and caring staff has the knowledge and training to help with the special needs our residents with Alzheimer’s require to enjoy the most out of life. Our homes are also equipped with a number of safety features of special importance for our patients with dementia, who are known to get confused, or try and wander off.

• Full door alarm monitoring system
• Full window alarm monitoring system
• 24/7 camera system, featuring 64 video surveillance monitors, both inside and outside the building
• Emergency call system in all bedrooms and bathrooms
• Hourly bedroom check
• Secured courtyard

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Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s disease is an impairment in reasoning and thinking that eventually affects many people with Parkinson’s disease. In addition to helping residents with the physical effects of Parkinson’s, we are well trained to help them with the mental aspects as well.

We provide specialized care for residents with Lewy Body dementia, vascular dementia and all other types of dementia as well.

Harford County Parkinson’s Disease Facilities

 

Parkinson’s disease is a fairly common neurological disorder in older adults, estimated to affect nearly 2 percent of those older than age 65. The National Parkinson Foundation estimates that 1 million Americans have Parkinson’s disease, and that 50 to 80 percent of those patients will eventually experience Parkinson’s disease dementia.

 

Parkinson’s Dementia

The warm and caring staff at Hart Heritage Estates has the experience and training to provide care for our residents coping with the muscular and neurological effects of Parkinson’s, as well as those residents suffering from related dementia, as well.

If you’re caring for a spouse or relative with Parkinson’s disease and they have started to develop signs of Parkinson’s dementia, it may be time to consider placing them in a safe and caring environment such as the one provided at Hart Heritage Estates.

Common symptoms of Parkinson’s include:

• Changes in memory, concentration and judgment
• Trouble interpreting visual information
• Muffled speech
• Visual hallucinations
• Delusions, especially paranoid ideas
• Depression
• Irritability and anxiety
• Sleep disturbances, including excessive daytime drowsiness and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep disorder

Our staff monitors medication, assists with activities of daily living and provides 24/7 supervision. Both of our locations are equipped with a number of safety features to protect our residents which include:

• Full door alarm monitoring system
• Full window alarm monitoring system
• Motion detectors for fall risk residents
• Emergency call system in all bedrooms and bathrooms
• Hourly bedroom check
• Secured courtyard

 

Both of our Maryland locations are secure, giving both our residents and their families peace of mind.

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Respite Care Services

Respite care is designed for family members and caregivers who need to take some time off and rejuvenate, and just have some time to take care of themselves. For many, caring for an elderly, chronically ill, or disabled family member is simply a part of daily life. Caregiving, though, is a demanding job and no one is equipped to do it alone. Hart Heritage respite care provides short-term breaks that can relieve stress, restore energy, and promote balance in your life.

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What is Respite Care?

The word “respite” means to take a break from caring for a mentally or physically disabled loved one. Respite can be for a few hours or as long as a weekend. Respite care does need to be planned in advance.

Caregivers and loved ones alike will benefit from respite care. At Hart Heritage Estates, you can rest assured that your loved ones will be well cared for. They will have a taste of a new environment and new experiences interacting with their peers. While you and your family take some time for yourselves, you will have peace of mind that you left your loved ones to a trusted and professional staff who are experienced in taking care of the elderly with special needs. We treat each of our respite care visitors like a family member.

Some of the benefits of respite care:

• Relief – The caregiver must also have a form of relaxation once in a while. Knowing that there is someone who can do the job for you even for a couple of hours is a great relief.
• Enjoyment – Both the elderly and the caregiver can have fun; one will discover a new place and meet people of the same age, sing with them and get to know them while the caregiver can go to the spa, the hair salon, relax or bond with friends.
• Reduce the Pressure – Hart Heritage Estates respite care lessens the burden, stress and pressure on caregivers. After taking some time off, you will feel renewed, less irritable and more energetic.

 

“I would like to include a special thank you to the entire staff of Hart Heritage for all that was done for my sister Ida while she was a resident at your facility.  Ida was very fortunate to have had so many caring friends there for her during her last days with us.  May God Bless You All” – Sincerely, Ed V.

 

A Caregiver’s Guide to Creating a Respite Care Plan
Getting help from family and friends

 

Taking care of an aging or ill family member can be enormously rewarding and, at the same time, exhausting and emotionally draining. As a caregiver, you feed and read, clean up, make meals, change sheets, and offer comfort and good cheer. You manage your own life during the short, sometimes unpredictable lulls in your loved one’s schedule. Small wonder 38 percent of family caregivers rate their job as emotionally stressful.

Plowing through might feel doable in the short term, but too much time without a break can lead to caregiver burnout, depression and health problems. Short breaks help you make it through the long haul.

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Step by Step: Design a Custom Respite Plan

 

Step 1: Know your needs and theirs

 

• What do you need? Three hours off, twice a week? Twenty-four hours away from the house? A regular caregiver’s day (or night) out with your spouse or friends? A combination of the above?
• What does your loved one need? Companionship? Meals? Light housekeeping? Personal care? Help transitioning to a wheelchair? Daily walks? Therapy? An aide with special skills? List every job, large and small.

 

Step 2: Compile a list of possible pinch-hitters

 

• Cast a wide net. List family, near and far, your friends and your loved one’s friends.

 

Step 3: Call a family meeting

Gather siblings, adult children, nieces and nephews, aunts, uncles and other extended family. Include out-of-town family via Skype, FaceTime, Google Hangouts or other video-chat technology.

• Explain. Tell the group you need regular and as-needed time away from the family member you share. Do not wear your superhero cape or expect them to intuit your needs. Be specific about the caregiving the family member requires.
• Be flexible. If you need coverage on the same day at the same time, every week, say so — but remember, flexibility makes it easier for family to pitch in.
• Encourage questions. Many people expect caregiving to be overwhelming or fear making a mistake. Be specific about what’s required. For example: Make meals, give prescribed medicines, and offer compassion, conversation, comfort and assistance.

 

If an aide or medical professional is part of treatment, assure your helpers that they will arrive as scheduled. If a family member is uneasy about administering personal care, consider arranging to have a home health aide come in the morning and evening.

If your loved one has mobility issues, demonstrate how to assist the person.

If family members are worried that a health crisis will happen on their watch, tell them it’s possible and that if it does, they should call 911 right away. For a non-emergency concern, they should call the doctor.

Step 4: Stop talking

Silence will give everyone time to consider how they can help or join forces to cobble together a solution. Group brainstorming can motivate a reluctant helper.

Step 5: Offer options

• If family members beg off because work and kids eat up weekdays, ask if they can cover Friday nights or the early morning run to adult day care. The sibling who can’t contribute time may be able to contribute money to cover a car service or a once-a-week professional caregiver. Your out-of-town sister and her family can come to stay for a week while you take a vacation.
• If you’re doing all the heavy lifting but family dynamics would make for a stressful meeting — or past efforts were unproductive — invest in professional direction from an eldercare mediator.

 

Step 6: Make it simple

When everyone is onboard, join a free online scheduler like Lotsa Helping Hands or CareCalendar that lets you specify what you need so others can sign up to provide services. Use the notes feature to update news about your loved one’s condition.

Step 7: Spread the word

After you create your calendar, email the link and any ID or password needed to open it. Send to your family, friends, your loved one’s friends, your neighbors and your loved one’s neighbors. (Longtime friends and neighbors are often glad to spend a few hours a month with someone with whom they have a shared history.)

Step 8: Leave the rest to us!

Leave written instructions about meals, medicine and phone numbers for a backup home health aide or personal care provider and for your loved one’s medical team.

 

Call one of our locations or contact us now to discuss our senior living options or to schedule a tour so you can experience Hart Heritage. We will help you provide a place for mom or dad that surpasses everyone’s expectations.