Rittenhouse Village: A Different Philosophy for Senior Living

July 2019

Writer // Janelle Morrison            Photography // Laura Arick

Are you looking for a senior living community but don’t know where to start? Some retirement communities are like self-contained townships in that they provide residents with many of the same types of public facilities found in large cities. Because assisted living communities are so varied in scope and organization, it is important to know how to find the right one for you.

While there are multiple options throughout the northside, there are some key things to consider when deciding which community will be best for you or your loved one. Rittenhouse Village At Northside in Indianapolis is redefining senior living by taking these considerations and making them the standard at their community.

What Things Should You Consider?

Services and amenities: Rittenhouse Village offers many on-site services and amenities that help residents continue to live the life they want to lead. Its Celebrations activities program and full-time activities director ensures there is always a variety of activities and events happening for residents. Activities such as education programs, exercise programs, parties and other social events provide the residents with opportunities to stay active, alert and engaged.

Rittenhouse’s Dimensions Wellness program caters to its residents’ social, intellectual, spiritual, physical, medical and emotional wellness, and its Impressions Housekeeping service allows the residents more time to do the things they enjoy.

Proximity to the greater community: Rittenhouse Village is ideally located, close to shopping centers, restaurants, entertainment, health care facilities, churches and other cultural pursuits that its residents want to frequent and enjoy outside of the senior living community. Rittenhouse understands that an assisted living and secured memory care community shouldn’t just be self-contained but, rather, an extension of the greater community around it.

Rittenhouse offers its Connections Transportation service, which allows its residents to safely go on regularly scheduled trips to nearby dining, shopping, religious services and other fun outings via its professional drivers. Its Expressions Concierge Service offers an array of convenient services, such as making reservations to area restaurants or sending a bouquet of beautiful flowers to a friend or loved one.

Pets: Moving into a senior living community shouldn’t mean having to rehome and say farewell to a pet. Retirement communities vary on their pet policies, but Rittenhouse is a pet-friendly community.

Around-the-clock care: Rittenhouse offers 24/7 nursing care, and its professional team members are always nearby to help residents enjoy the best possible quality of life. Residents at Rittenhouse Village also receive personalized care services, such as showering or bathing assistance, medication management, continence management, glucose and insulin management and personal laundry. All of these services are supported by the dedicated 24-hour professional health and wellness team delivering exceptional care to your loved one.

Cost: Affordability is a major factor when choosing a retirement community. Rittenhouse is one of a few senior living communities in the area that accepts the Medicaid Waiver.

The Rittenhouse Village Difference

With more than 25 years of experience creating world-class senior communities, the award-winning Discovery Senior Living and the operators and managers of Rittenhouse Village are delivering on their promise of exceptional care by designing advanced health and wellness programs to meet the needs and wants of today’s retiring seniors.

Rittenhouse Village’s parent company, Discovery Senior Living, has earned a number of prestigious regional, national and international awards, such as Best Overall Senior Community, Best Clubhouse and Activities Area, Best Apartment Design and Best 50+ Assisted Living – On the Boards. They’ve created a resident-focused senior living community with you and your well-being in mind and with a focus on personalized care.

Rittenhouse Village offers its seniors lifestyle choices from assisted living to memory care, aimed to provide a seamless transition to aging-in-place by delivering enriched lifestyles to keep its residents living happier longer. Its managers and staff understand the challenges people with dementia face.

When your loved one enters its memory care community, its nurses and certified nurse assistants, with ongoing education and specialized training in memory care diseases, chart a course of exploration for them that touches on various important aspects of life.

Angela Shell, Executive Director at Rittenhouse Village At Northside in Indianapolis, added, “Our community offers an identified memory care director that focuses on developing activities and exercises based on our exclusive SHINE programming.”

Their program is designed to rebuild and preserve that which their affliction has taken from them. From quality meals to personalized care and attention, Rittenhouse Village assures you that your family members are in the best hands, receiving the best care.

Shell mentioned that all of Rittenhouse Village’s 76 one-bedroom apartments are all on one level—no second story. There are three award-winning apartment floorplans offered at Rittenhouse Village. The Estate Suite offers a one-bedroom, one-bath, 337-square-foot apartment, the Manor Suite offers a one-bedroom, one-bath, 389-square-foot apartment and the third floorplan—the Regal Suite—offers a one-bedroom, one-bath, 235-square-foot living space.

There is a beautiful courtyard in the center of the building, making it a secured place for all residents to go that is not accessible outside the community and provides a wonderful place for activities or respite.

Family values are also a big emphasis at Rittenhouse Village, as are the personal relationships the managers and staff develop with their residents and their family members, another distinguishing aspect of what makes their community unique.

“Another aspect that makes us unique is that we are a smaller community, which enables us to know every single one of our residents and their pets on a first-name basis,” Shell said. “Our staff knows every single resident and their families. Our size makes it possible for us to engage all of our residents on a very personal level.”

Rittenhouse Village Welcomes You

When a new resident moves in, Shell and her staff take great care in welcoming that person and introducing him or her to their “Resident Ambassadors”—resident volunteers who show the new resident the ropes, so to speak, and get them involved right away.

“We start their move-in with a welcome basket, and after they’re settled, we make sure that they are introduced to the members of the staff,” Shell said. “Again, because we are a smaller community, we have many families that come in and visit with their loved ones but have adopted other residents who may not have as many visitors. It’s an incredibly inclusive culture here. When giving a tour, the comment that I get a lot is, ‘You know everyone that lives here,’ and I can honestly say that about the entire staff as well.”

The staff and residents celebrate their residents’ birthdays with a monthly celebration, another example of the engagement and inclusion that Rittenhouse Village has built a strong reputation for. The managers and staff give their residents individualized care and impeccable service so they can live carefree and content.

“We also invite our residents’ church families to come and visit and participate in some of our volunteer opportunities,” Shell said. “We are currently doing a food drive along with a moving company that we’ve partnered with. This company specializes in helping seniors downsize and move into their new communities. So, we encourage our residents to get involved and invite their family and friends to participate in those kinds of events.”

Gourmet Meals Available On-Site

If you want a fine meal served to you every day, or if you simply know there will be times you won’t want to cook, dining services will be a huge factor in choosing a retirement community. Are there a dedicated chef and waitstaff preparing and serving you meals or is food mass-produced, like in a cafeteria? These are important considerations as you investigate senior living communities.

Every Discovery Senior Living community offers dining service known as Sensations Dining.

Some of the most exciting times happen three times a day at Rittenhouse Village senior living. That’s when residents sit down in the “Sensations” dining room to enjoy healthy, delicious meals—made from scratch—complete with friendly tableside service from its remarkable team members.

Rittenhouse Village’s executive chef prepares daily menus filled with international cuisines and homemade favorites prepared to suit every palate. The culinary team uses the best ingredients available to create mouthwatering appetizers, entrees and desserts that keep the residents’ taste buds tingling.

Rittenhouse Village’s Culture

The Rittenhouse Village culture is one that sincerely reflects its team members. They are one big team that exudes integrity, teamwork, performance, accountability, a strong work ethic, compassion and creativity every day and in everything they do. They have set high standards of performance for team members at all levels. Residents and their family members put faith in these staff members to perform jobs that meet and exceed their expectations.

The managers and staff help residents live a life of happiness, wellness and enrichment every day. They affect people’s well-being, which can be a daunting but rewarding task and responsibility. Rittenhouse Village is a leader in its industry, redefining senior living and reaching a new level of achievement through its culture. Rittenhouse Village’s leadership understands that this can be an emotional and challenging new chapter in a senior’s life.

They aim to work with their future residents and do not demand large upfront entrance fees or long-term commitments. Instead, they focus on their community offering comfortable amenities, friendly, welcoming environments and the highest standards of personalized care that continue to enrich lives for years to come.

The Mission Statement

Rittenhouse Village’s exclusive lifestyle programs deliver unparalleled service and opportunities for each resident to be engaged and live a life of enlightenment and happiness. Its mission for its residents:

“We pledge to provide a warm and caring environment that empowers freedom of choice and fosters individuality. We pledge to provide superior, personalized care and service. We pledge to offer support and education to our residents, the family of our residents, our staff and community. We pledge to ensure dignity and quality of life.”

Schedule a tour and enjoy a delicious free lunch. Rittenhouse Village: 1251 West 96th Street, Indianapolis, IN 46260.

Visit rittenhousevillages.com/senior-living/in/indianapolis/rittenhouse-village-at-northside or call 317-333-7203.