When walking through the finely curated halls of Weatherly Inn Lake Meridian, which feels like the most inviting and comfortable mostly indoor village, it’s no wonder this retirement community facility is so popular in south King County.
While Weatherly Inn Lake Meridian is not the only Weatherly retirement community in western Washington, it is the only one that specializes in compassionate memory care, catering to individuals with Alzheimer’s and forms of dementia.
A third-generation, family-owned facility and located across from Lake Meridian in Kent, Weatherly first opened in 1999 and has been voted Kent’s Best Senior Living Community Facility.
Judging by the quality of amenities, programs and services that are offered for residents at Weatherly — a salon, numerous places to sit down and a 24-hour staff of nurses and medical professionals, just to name a few — it makes sense that families are so comfortable and confident in having their loved ones live there.
General Manager Sabrina Selden was originally a volunteer at Weatherly when she was 16-years-old where she worked at front reception on the weekends, answering phones. When she earned her cosmetology license, Selden began to work in the salon and found that she wanted to do more to make a difference in people’s lives.
Weatherly Inn not only has an in-house salon but other amenities that help residents feel like they’re out in the world. Photo by Bailey Jo Josie/Sound Publishing.
“I feel like, behind the chair, I made a difference, but in a different way. Whereas, with this position I felt like it gave me more of a hands-on opportunity to really make an impact in the day-to-day lives of our residents,” she said.
Some of the impacts of running a sought-after retirement community that specializes in memory care is keeping regular routines for residents, providing top-notch meals and allowing them time to craft, enjoy their hobbies or relax. Selden says that Bingo is especially popular with the residents and that they put that in the schedule often.
Residents are also provided with therapeutic arrangements, like listening to a trained harpist who plays regularly or a house dog that makes for a good companion and a receiver of pets and adoration.
The current house dog at Weatherly is six-month old Milo, a French bulldog who is being trained to be a companion for the residents. As Selden walks him through the various lounges and sitting spaces throughout the facility, the residents instantly light up when they see him, reaching down to give him pets and calling him their sweet baby. “The goal is for him to just kind of wander the building as if you had a dog at home,” said Selden. “Something to pet, something to talk to, something to give treats to and they love him.”
According to the Alzheimer’s Association website, 127,000 Washingtonians age 65 and older are living with Alzheimer’s, while 17% of Washingtonians 45 and up have subjective cognitive decline, which means that Weatherly Inn fills a real need in the community.
All interior designs are curated by the former owner. Photo by Bailey Jo Josie/Sound Publishing.
Weatherly Inn Lake Meridian is located at 15101 Southeast 272nd Street in Kent. For more information, visit weatherlyinn.com or call 253-630-7496.
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Two residents like to play mini golf so a small green was put in one of the facility’s sun rooms. Photo by Bailey Jo Josie/Sound Publishing.
The halls and alcoves of Weatherly Inn have many comfortable spaces to sit for residents. Photo by Bailey Jo Josie/Sound Publishing.
