Klamath Falls, Oregon Retirement Community

A Wonderful Place to Live

Ours is a “jeans and tee-shirt retirement community,” a fun, casual home where everyone – even our residents’ small pets, which are welcome here – is considered extended family. Children and grandchildren come and go. All of us, including staff, sit down together for meals. We play games and watch movies together. We cry and laugh together, sharing life’s ups and downs. Everything our dedicated, loyal staff does is focused on making life for our residents comfortable, joyful and vibrant. We also keep in mind that many residents are from the immediate area of Klamath Falls, a community of independent, hardworking, resilient people who find it difficult to ask for a helping hand. As we like to say to prospective new residents, “We’ll never smother you. We recognize that you have lived on your own your entire life. We are simply here to help you stay active and independent, offering assistance only when you need it.” This philosophy makes a real difference in the health of our residents. We have two residents who are 104, another who is 100 – all three of whom are still very active, sharp and independent. It’s hard to put into words, but we truly are one big family living together in the wonderful family community of Klamath Falls. We know each resident personally – we know their children’s names and what they do; we even know their pets’ names! If a resident doesn’t have family in the immediate area, we become their sons and daughters, providing loving support and care.

Residents are so comfortable at Eldorado Heights, they often choose to stay right here and take advantage of our terrific activities program. At the request of our residents in wheelchairs, we have introduced an exercise program in which an outside instructor comes into our community and leads classes designed specifically to help people with limited mobility build strength and flexibility. Residents also enjoy outdoor walks along the paved sidewalks that encircle our community. Our full-time Life Enrichment Director makes sure that there is always something going on – seven days a week – from bingo and arts and crafts, to weekly current events discussions and educational programs given by students from the Oregon Institute of Technology or student nurses from Sky View Medical Center. One of our Resident Assistants has also planned a variety of informal evening activities for those of our residents who like to stay up late, including movies shown on our new flat-screen television, card games and special Dance with the Stars evenings!

Partnering with the Local Neighborhood Community

About half of our residents are veterans or spouses of veterans; we even have one gentleman who served with the horseback cavalry in Oklahoma during the earliest days of World War II. In recognition of their service to our country, we partner closely with different veteran groups in the area. For example, the local chapter of the VFW comes to Eldorado Heights to lead a flag ceremony on Flag Day. Veteran groups also give educational seminars to our residents on such topics as veterans financial benefit programs.

We partner closely with the Klamath Basin Senior Center, which often joins us for games, meals and various events, including musical performances given by volunteer groups who come into our community to share their talents. We are also active with the Chamber of Commerce, and occasionally host the Chamber Greeters, a group of local business people who meet every Thursday morning to learn about other members’ businesses, products and services. We also reach out to our neighbors every month, inviting them here to our community for a special event, such as our Grand Reopening as an Emeritus community, during which more than 250 of our neighbors and friends joined us for carriage rides, tours and refreshments.

Fine Dining

Eldorado Heights is known for offering the highest quality, most flavorful food of all assisted living communities in town. Three meals a day, served restaurant style in our gracious dining room, are included in our monthly rent. Our menu changes daily, but we always offers several choices, including a lighter fare. At breakfast, our chefs can prepare made-to-order eggs and omelets. In addition, we often have large community meals that are catered and open to the public, for example a recent cowboy barbeque, featuring a full selection of fabulous ribs, chicken and sides. Snacks, such as hot scones served just out of the oven in the afternoon, fruit and freshly baked cookies, are always available. We also frequently bake cookies just for our friends at the local senior center and deliver them still warm from the oven. Not surprising we’re called the “cookie people!” We also get frequent calls from adult children in the community, asking us to check on their grandmother or parent who they feel isn’t eating properly. We make home visits almost daily, bringing them food and friendship. Community outreach like this is a great way for us to help seniors, with limited mobility, who find it difficult to prepare their own meals.