Finding the right care facility for yourself or someone you love can be strenuous. There are so many important factors to consider. You want the perfect balance of assistance and freedom.
The wonderful thing is that the assisting of elders with their daily living is an art, and, as with other arts, you can find talented people who make a passion project of it.
Taber McNaughton and Salvatore DePoala, co-creators of Mountain Valley Manor Adult Home in Kingston, are hands-on managers who take pride in knowing not just the 51 residents in their care, but also the family and friends who love them and visit them.
The two were college roommates, and Taber’s father ran an adult home. They knew that there was a local need for a place where elders could live their lives with dignity and enjoyment.
If you’re looking for a place where life’s adventure continues, where aging gracefully, graciously, and joyfully is both celebrated and supported, Sal and Taber would love to have you come over for a good lunch and a conversation.
The team got the planning board’s approval in 2003 to build the 22,000-square-foot facility on a sweet nine-acre oasis on Wilbur Avenue near Midtown Kingston. Groundbreaking happened in 2006, when Sal was 30. He and his family live next door (his kids are regular visitors) and both he and Taber can often be found in the halls and common areas, making sure everything’s good and socializing with their adopted extended family. “It’s like fifty grandparents that you never knew you’d have,” says Sal.
Mountain Valley Manor is an adult home licensed by the Department of Health (a specific standard that not every care facility meets) to provide care, room, board, housekeeping, activities, and more to people over 55 who are able to walk and do their own basic grooming; a secure memory care unit serves Alzheimer’s and dementia patients.
Services provided on-site include: doctor visits, including mental health and podiatry; physical, occupational, and speech therapy; wellness and nutrition counseling; massage and beauty salon services; jewelry cleaning and repair; mailing, dry cleaning, and more.
Services provided on-site include: doctor visits, including mental health and podiatry; physical, occupational, and speech therapy; wellness and nutrition counseling; massage and beauty salon services; jewelry cleaning and repair; mailing, dry cleaning, and more. Should an elder need to go someplace, they’re covered for two trips of their choice a month; beyond that, the facility’s got its own bus stop. A concierge keeps things organized and convenient. Some residents drive and sign in and out at their leisure.
But life’s about much more than convenience, and Mountain Valley Manor offers all the extras that make daily life fun and engaging: internet, cable, and satellite service; happy hour every Friday with hors d'oeuvres and sometimes a band; yoga, tai chi, and dance; and in-house arts, crafts, and culture, along with frequent trips to numerous local venues that are an integral part of Hudson Valley living (museums, parks, local eateries, etc.). There are porches and patios and verandas and ponds. There’s a walking club and an exercise class.
Photos of seniors enjoying lunch out on the town, taking dance lessons, and celebrating special occasions dominate Mountain Valley Manor’s lively Facebook page. “Life is good here. Laugh and sing and be with great people,” reads a five-star review from a resident. On websites that offer reviews of care facilities, Mountain Valley Manor consistently recieves four and five stars. “The perfect home for my mother-in-law who is 93 years old,” reads one review on Caring.com. “The facility is bright, cheery, and well laid out. The caregivers are kind and careful and give her the extra help she needs. The food is excellent.
I appreciate the policy of allowing family members and friends to join a resident for a meal on one day notice. A very homelike atmosphere here with the owner/operators on site. My MIL is very content and safe here!”. “The facility is clean and the staff is so helpful, it’s unbelievable.... My dad’s room is clean, open, airy, bright, and very homey, and has nice furniture and a spacious bathroom,” writes another reviewer. “It is very nicely set up. They have bingo, exercise classes, strength classes, movie nights, yoga, and a full schedule to keep Dad busy, which he is enjoying.”
Both Sal and Taber can often be found in the halls and common areas, making sure everything’s good and socializing with their adopted extended family.
“Everybody seems so happy here,” says another. If you’re looking for a place where life’s adventure continues, where aging gracefully, graciously, and joyfully is both celebrated and supported, Sal and Taber would love to have you come over for a good lunch and a conversation.
mountain valley manor adult home
397 Wilbur Avenue, Kingston 845-331-1254
mountainvalleymanor.com
