There’s no shortage of activities and togetherness for residents at Elan Gardens.
Elan Gardens offers a sprawling center to go along with its numerous amenities and offerings.
Residents and staff at Elan Gardens are more like an extended family, and caring for one another is paramount.
SOUTH ABINGTON TWP. — Though Brittany Elko, executive director of Elan Gardens, has been there for only just over a year now, she is more than aware that it’s her staff that makes the senior living community such a great place — one of the best, to be exact.
“We wouldn’t be where we are without our staff. They truly are the most vital piece of all of this,” Elko said before explaining a recent happening where resident and staff laughter filled the hallways as they partook in video game bowling, but that’s just another day at Elan Gardens.
Elko explained the vision and mission of the center as such: “Elan Gardens is dedicated to providing quality personal care to our residents. We promote whole body well-being and support our residents in maintaining their highest level of independence. Our staff takes pride in the work they do as they strive to do their very best for our residents every day. Meaningful relationships are at the forefront of our work. As a nonprofit organization our ultimate goal is to identify and meet the needs of our community.”
And it seems those goals are achieved day in and day out.
“We have a wonderful group of residents and staff. People really feel as though this is not only a living center, but that the people here are their family. And I hear that from residents and staff alike. They care for each other deeply and they become very close while they’re here,” Elko said. “We try to keep people as active as possible, and we have a very wide array of healthy, active programming for our residents. We want them to be up and moving and be out and about and engaging.”
Elan Gardens aims for every resident to have as much independence as possible. While sure, residents are typically there because they need some sort of help in an area of their life, Elan Gardens aims to still provide that independence in whatever ways it can while providing necessary care and therapies.
There’s also specialized care for residents who may suffer from cognitive impairments, such as dementia.
“Our memory care is specialized care. The activities and living environment are geared toward people living with dementia who need some more hands on care and assistance with their activities of daily living. Our staff spend time learning about dementia and work closely with the residents, their families and other team members to provide the best individualized service for each resident,” Elko explained.
Regardless of the necessary care, treatments, or therapies, a resident may or may not require, Elan Gardens strives for total wellness, connection and togetherness, ensuring staff and residents are more like an extended family than simply going through the motions of day-to-day work.
“As a nonprofit (501)(c)(3) organization, we firmly believe in this approach of providing the best care possible to our residents and putting back into the organization,” Elko said. And acknowledging the Best of the Abingtons designation, she said, “Certainly we would like to say thank yøu for recognizing us and taking notice of the hard work we do every day. And we want the community to know that we’re here to provide that service just as we have for the last 25 years.”
Elan Gardens is a part of a larger network of caring that includes the Jewish Home of Eastern Pennsylvania (where Elko worked for over a decade) and Webster Towers in Scranton, providing a true continuum of care for all those they serve.
Tours are welcome at Elan Gardens, and one need only call at 570-585-4400 to schedule an appointment, or visit the website at elangardens.org for a full listing of services and amenities, among many other things. You can also find Elan Gardens on Facebook @ elangardenspa.
