Fall at Hover Senior Living in Longmont (Photo courtesy: Hover Senior Living)

Hover Senior Living Community

Learn more about Hover Senior Living Community and 90 Days of Giving

LONGMONT, CO, US, October 31, 2023 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Nov. 4: Hover residents, their families and the broader community are invited to Hover’s Walk-and Ride-A-Thon fundraiser.

Melissa O’Hara’s favorite work moments never occur behind a desk. Instead, the recently named CEO of Hover Senior Living Community most treasures her one-on-one time with Hover elders, from strolls in the gardens and laughs over lunch to jaunts around the Hover campus in the community trishaw, a three-wheeled “cycle vehicle” with conveyance seats in the front. “We usually take two elders at a time,” she said. “They feel the wind in their hair and see life happening. You can see the change in their faces as we go, and they start reminiscing.”

O’Hara continued, pointing to her mission as CEO: “For some with short-term memory, that’s when their words come back. And in that moment, my purpose is fulfilled.”

O’Hara was drawn to Hover Senior Living Community’s non-profit ethos and commitment to the Eden Alternative^® Principles, an approach to senior living that “upholds an elder right to a life full of purposeful, connection, empowerment and possibility, regardless of age or changing abilities,” according to the Eden mission.

“Following the Eden Philosophy, our vision at Hover surrounds how you treat and respect elders,” O’Hara said. “We empower and train our team members to treat our elders with respect, to emphasize elder autonomy and to put our elders’ wants and needs first and foremost.”

Respecting and valuing each person on campus can be as basic as honoring a meal request (“If they ask for pizza every day for dinner, we make sure it happens,” she said) to as complex as helping residents navigate changing health needs. Hover Senior Living Community operates along a continuum of care, offering independent and assisted living, skilled nursing and short-term rehabilitation care.

While the campus is integrated and enrichments are open to all, Hover Senior Living Community includes three buildings featuring different levels of support. Hover Manor apartments are for those seeking independent living with the reassurance of a safe environment and the joy of daily engagement. Private suites in the Beatrice Hover building include assisted living services such as medication management, meal preparation, housekeeping and laundry. The Katherine and Charles Hover Green House offers skilled nursing in a “real home environment” to elders needing 24-hour nursing care or short-term rehabilitation support. Hospice, palliative and end-of-life care are also available.

‘Where life happens’

“Hover Senior Living is where life happens,” O’Hara said. “Here our elders are doing things, whether that’s going to a movie, playing a card game with friends or having dinner with peers. It’s very important to have that at every age.”

She added, “The biggest detriments of growing old is loneliness and boredom. If you live alone, there’s an overall lack of communication and interaction. At Hover, we include our elders in everything. We want them to experience life, feel a purpose and engage with people.”

To that end, “engagement has been thoughtfully created to bring meaning,” she said. “We are here to bring opportunities for our elders to thrive and flourish.” Elders gather family-style at mealtimes to savor chef-prepared, nutritious fare, and each month a holiday or seasonal theme includes specialized food, musical and art programming and a special event.

On-going activities include the Hover walking club, fitness classes, Wii bowling league, ballroom dances, bell choir, sing-a-longs, concerts in the park, gardening club and outings to cultural and nature venues. Transportation to Longmont appointments and shopping centers can be arranged, and both men and women look forward to an afternoon at one of the campus beauty salons or barbershops. The Hover Connections Club welcomes those living in neighboring communities to join elders in Hover happenings. “We are a place of relationships,” O’Hara said.

90 Days of Giving

“This exists because of our community support,” O’Hara said. “As a nonprofit, we use the funds for the benefit of the residents.” Hover’s annual 90 Days of Giving fundraiser, currently underway, will help support future renovations of the independent and assisted living buildings. “These buildings are from the 1970s and 1980s and need a remodel to make them fresh and beautiful for our residents,” she said.

Hover’s skilled nursing care may be covered by Medicaid and Medicare, yet Hover relies on donations to keep resident fees feasible. Founded 43 years ago by the Hover family for lower-income elders, Hover carries on the mission of “serving every single person who walks in our doors with love and respect,”
O’Hara said.

“Hover is so important to Longmont because we are known as the place where your mom and dad, grandma or grandpa can move in, and you’ll know they will be treated with the love and respect they deserve,” she noted.

Walk- and Ride-a-thon, holiday photos

90 Days of Giving intentionally involves the entire community.

On Nov. 4, Hover residents, their families and the broader community are invited to Hover’s Walk- and Ride-A-Thon fundraiser. That’s when O’Hara will wheel out the trishaw, and Hover team members will ensure that each resident who wants to do a loop around campus gets a turn. “It’s a taste of freedom,” O’Hara said.

Another highlight of 90 Days of Giving is Hover’s holiday photo shoot. This is an opportunity for residents and families to capture the beauty, inside and out, of their loved ones, and many families show up in their best holiday finery. Hover has also created a 2024 calendar with images showcasing residents in the community.

“We believe that our elders are precious, and when we give, we also are getting back,” O’Hara said. “They have a lifetime of memories, and with the support of our community, we can cherish our elders even better.”

Lisa Bryant
Hover Community
+1 7204877766
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