Blue Heron Senior Living Offers The Best Of Four Worlds!

The sunsets at Blue Heron Senior Living in Wesley Chapel are an added bonus to go with a long list of amenities for residents in Assisted Living and Memory Care. (Photos courtesy of Blue Heron)

Candy Spitzer searched extensively for the perfect retirement home. Her criteria included a place near her children, where she didn’t have to cook or clean and where she could still have neighbors. She found the community she was looking for at Blue Heron Senior Living & Memory Care. 

“I wanted to be with people who would be similar to my age so that we could still talk to and really communicate with each other,” says Spitzer, a 78-year-old Blue Heron resident. “Blue Heron was so far above any of the other places that I went because I never saw that ability for us to be able to get together as much as we can here.”

Blue Heron Senior Living, located on Eagleston Blvd. off Bruce B. Downs Blvd. in Seven Oaks near the new (opening in 2023) BayCare Hospital, had a staggered opening in June 2021. The 159,000-sq.-ft. retirement home offers four distinct lifestyle communities for residents — including assisted living, memory care, skilled nursing and rehabilitation. 

“We are a very unique community,” says Community Relations Director Lilly Gonzalez. “We are the only community in the Wesley Chapel and New Tampa area that combines assisted living, memory care, skilled rehab and long-term care, all on one campus.”  

Even beyond Wesley Chapel/New Tampa, the combination of all four services is rare. 

Gonzalez says the goal of Blue Heron is to provide care and services to its residents, so they can have the independence to do the things they enjoy. Family members, she says, can visit and spend quality time with their loved ones knowing they are being cared for properly. 

“When their family comes, they can enjoy the visit without having the burden of having to care for [and ask], ‘Did you take your pills, did you take a shower, did you drink your water?,’” Gonzalez says. “They can rest assured that we took care of those responsibilities.”

An Array of Choices

Spitzer is just one of about 83 residents who currently live in the assisted living community. There are 18 studio apartments, 43 one-bedroom apartments and 12 two-bedroom apartments to choose from. Residents of the 73 apartments — some are occupied by couples —can partake in social, educational, spiritual and health-oriented activities.

Residents also are welcome to leave their homes to shop or go out to eat, Gonzalez says, which is something Blue Heron residents like to do often. Residents also receive a pendant, often worn like a necklace, that they can press in case they need a care team member for assistance.

Blue Heron offers a host of amenities. In each assisted living apartment, there are full-sized refrigerators, a washer and dryer, television and telephone service, as well as WiFi, which along with the other utilities, are all included in the monthly price. The lobby has comfortable seating and a gas-fired fireplace, ideal for small gatherings or just relaxing. 

The main dining area, which serves up to three meals a day to residents, is behind the lobby, and also has an open kitchen area, called The Bistro, for grab-and-go snacks and drinks, including coffee and a wine tap for residents to enjoy while watching television or mingling with new friends

When the weather is right, an outdoor patio beckons. It features a gas grill, a putting green and plenty of umbrella-covered seating for those who choose to look out over a sizable pond. It also is a perfect area for live music, which residents are treated to on occasion.

Blue Heron also has an art studio/gallery, a spa/salon and a life enrichment center.

Gonzalez says the fourth floor might be the residents’ favorite — “It has a lounge area and it’s really a pretty place to watch the sunsets,” she says.

Some apartments have balconies that overlook a courtyard and the pond as well, offering beautiful views.

To provide peace of mind, Covid-19 regulations are in place at all Blue Heron communities. Employees are regularly  tested for Covid-19 and residents are required to wear masks in the common areas. 

This has not, however, done away with the community aspect of Blue Heron, Gonzalez says. 

She recalls a time when residents did not want anyone to be excluded, so they pushed two tables together in the dining room. Gonzalez says the residents take pride in the community and make it comfortable and inclusive for everyone, which is something management also encourages. 

“It’s really a precious thing,” she says. “They’re able to feel comfortable enough to display this and engage other new residents and make them feel comfortable — that’s unique.”

For Blue Heron residents with dementia, the community offers a secured, but intimate memory care community, which allows residents to thrive and not be overwhelmed. Offering a smaller home-like environment also ensures the personalized attention and programming these residents deserve.

Gonzalez says that with Memory Care, “it’s all about engagement with planned events, scheduled outings, meaningful and purposeful programs that keep our residents stimulated, within their own familiar environment.”

She adds that the Memory Care community provides a supervised neighborhood for residents, while also allowing them to maintain their independence.  

“For those who may have a tendency to try to walk away and go look for a loved one or go look for their home and wander off, well then, the independent area in assisted living is no longer safe for them,” she says. “Memory Care is a secured neighborhood and provides that safety and peace of mind.”

While the 22 Memory Care studio apartments may all be similar, the front of the “cottages” vary, with some designed with brick, stone or wood. 

Skilled Nursing & Rehab

“Skilled nursing and rehabilitation services are for patients who need more acute services for varying surgeries, injuries or illnesses,” says Lenee’ Cedeno, the Director of Admissions for the skilled nursing side.

It is the only assisted living community in Wesley Chapel or New Tampa that offers both short-term rehabilitation services and long-term nursing care on-site. There are 106 private suites in the health and rehabilitation center, as well as a “Return to Home” program that includes advanced therapy equipment, physical, occupational and speech therapies, virtual reality workouts and neighborhood amenities.

“Our whole vision is for rehab to home,” Cedeno says. “To get patients stronger so that they can return home or to assisted living.”

Assisted Living or Memory Care residents who have a medical need that requires a skilled nurse or intense rehab can just transition over and get the help they need before returning to their regular apartments.

Assisted Living and Memory Care are independently licensed with the state of Florida, and the skilled nursing has a distinct license for their service specialty, Gonzalez says. Both areas of the community offer skilled, certified and licensed staff members through Resident Aides, Medication Technicians, Certified Nursing Assistants, Licensed Practical Nurses and Registered Nurses. A variety of doctors visit residents and patients, including cardiology, podiatry, psychology and many other specialties. Residents in Assisted Living can maintain their current primary care physicians if they choose to do so.

Another unique touch offered by Blue Heron is its respite stay program. If a family caregiver needs to go out of town for a few weeks and can’t leave a parent or older relative alone to care for themselves, they can stay at Blue Heron like they would a hotel, provided they meet the same requirements as a regular resident. These respite stays won’t be available forever because, eventually, Gonzalez says, Blue Heron will be at 100-percent occupancy. But until then, “it is a service to the community.” 

Those same caregivers also can benefit from a free support group offered by Blue Heron on the third Wednesday of every month, from 3 p.m.-4:30 p.m.

Eileen Poiley from the Byrd Alzheimer’s Center & Research Institute at USF hosts the free monthly forums. The forum are designed to help Tampa-area caregivers cope with any stress and guilt, deal with loved ones who may no longer recognize them, are caring for a relative who is exit-seeking or are in physical and cognitive decline. Gonzalez says roughly a dozen or so caregivers attend, and everyone is welcome.

The long list of amenities and the growth of the community are two of the main reasons why Spitzer is overjoyed with her choice. For people wondering about living at Blue Heron, she says it is the best senior living community she’s looked at in the area. 

“I just wish more people would understand that it’s not a punishment for their children to take them like my sons brought me,” Spitzer says. “It’s become a joy and I would hope that older people will begin to look at this as being their new home and that you can live a very nice life.”

Blue Heron Senior Living is located at 5071 Eagleston Blvd. in Wesley Chapel, and its hours are Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-8 p.m., and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on the weekends. For more information, call (813) 454-0513 or visit SeniorLivingAtBlueHeron.com.

Cort Of Appeal Brings Style To Your Fashions & Interior Design

Cortnie Roshaune Hordge

Cortnie Roshaune Hordge lives by the motto: life isn’t perfect, but your home and wardrobe can be. 

The New Tampa resident is known among her friends and family as being “extra” — from her bright, bold apparel to her contemporary modern home dĂ©cor. Her passion for fashion and interior design fueled her to create Cort of Appeal, a client-focused fashion styling and interior design business, which she started in October 2021. 

Her mission is to bring style to both wardrobes and homes, not only in the New Tampa and Wesley Chapel communities, but also nationwide.

Cort of Appeal derives from Hordge’s first name and her goal to appeal to her clients’ fashion and interior design expectations. 

“Fashion is really about how you feel and how you want to feel in the clothes or in the environment that you’re in,” she says.

Her online business is made up of two parts: Cort Fashion and Cort Design. She also has created a shop called Cort’s Curvy Closet for curvy women, where new and gently used apparel from her own wardrobe can be purchased.

From updating a client’s wardrobe to on-call styling assistance, Hordge says Fashion Cort is for bringing out the beauty in her clients.

Treesa Battles, another New Tampa resident and creative consultant at Cort of Appeal, said both the business and Hordge’s apparel are distinctive and fashionable.

“She has really unique pieces, very bold pieces, very bright, vibrant pieces and it’s really what folks are looking for when they are fashion forward,” Battles says.

Hordge’s mom, Natalie Simmons, inspired her daughter to always look her best. Simmons says she is proud of her daughter’s accomplishments and knows the business will excel because of her daughter’s love for beauty and her attention to every detail.

“She’s extra with everything,” Simmons said. “She amps everything up.”

Your Home, Your Personality

Hordge’s business is best known, however, for its interior design consultations. From homes to offices, Cort Design works with clients — virtually or in-person — to create a personality for each space, and works with wholesalers for home dĂ©cor items she thinks will fit the vibe she is shooting for to make her clients happy.

“There’s a lot of cohesion, there’s a good vibe and energy feel from what she puts together,” Da’na Langford of the Village of Healing Center (a health care center in Cleveland, OH), one of her clients, says. “It’s very beautiful, it’s unique, it stands out. It looks very modernized and professional
there’s a flow to everything.”

Hordge worked virtually with the Village of Healing Center from late December to February of this year to renovate its building’s interior. Langford, the center’s co-founder, hired Hordge to create a space where Black women could feel safe and become better educated about healthcare services.

The Center was designed to showcase Black history, with photos and descriptions on acrylic signs. Without Hordge, Langford says the space would have had printed photos framed on walls and would lack the emphasis on Black culture. 

“We wanted Black women to be able to walk in and see themselves,” Langford says. “And so, Cortnie just brought all of that very much to light for us.”

Cortnie Roshaune Hordge of Cort of Appeal gave one of her clients “the glam I didn’t know I needed” with her design of the living room and kitchen above. (Photos courtesy of Cortnie Hordge)

When Langford hired Hordge to complete the job, she was initially concerned about the interior design being too time consuming. She was pleased to find out she only had to say “yes” or “no,” and Hordge and her team would do the rest.

“She’s very bubbly, professional, down to earth and, if she does not think that something will gel well with what you’re thinking, she will definitely let you know that. And then, we’ll send another option, instead of just saying ‘no,’” Langford says.

Hordge’s favorite interior design is her most recent house project because she was able to convince her client, Neoshia Woodson, to step out of her comfort zone. Woodson hired Cort of Appeal to design her newly purchased home in Wimauma. She wanted to use all of her furniture and elevate her space while still maintaining her budget. 

Hordge introduced Woodson to wallpapers and convinced her to have a teal accent wall — additions Woodson was initially unsure about.

“Cortnie gave me the glam, and she gave me the glam that I really didn’t want and didn’t know I know I needed,” Woodson says. “She took my place to another level.”

Although Hordge’s business currently is primarily online, she still believes in an in-person presence.

Hordge and her team have attended pop-up shops in Tampa to showcase their fashion and interior design items from her business and will attend another pop-up event on Sunday, August 14, at 200 East Madison St. in Tampa. She also will compete in an event as a stylist at Fashion’s Finest Tampa Bay on Saturday, August 20. Next year, she hopes to open a shop at Wesley Chapel’s KRATE at the Grove container park.

 For more information or to schedule an appointment, call (813) 421-0054 or visit CortAppeal.com. Cortnie also can be found on Facebook and Instagram by searching @cortappeal.

‘DON’T LOSE HOPE’

Haley Scott still has Olympic aspirations, but the Wesley Chapel figure skater is taking it one leap…er, step…at a time as she recovers from a two-year-long battle with Covid-19. (Photos: Charmaine George)

Haley Scott breathes in the cool, crisp air of the rink as she glides on the ice at AdventHealth Center Ice in her white skates. Gearing up, she makes three rotations in the air — a perfect triple loop. Her excitement to be back at the rink outweighs the muscle and lung aches, reminders of her two years off the ice due to complications of long Covid-19. 

The 16-year-old Wesley Chapel resident has been skating since she was five years old; however in November 2020, she was forced to stop when Covid prevented her from walking, talking and skating. The virus, which usually leaves the body in two weeks, persisted for Haley for over two years.

Doctors told Haley she may never be able to skate again. However, six specialists later, she is back on the ice and ready to perfect her form.

“It was definitely a hard journey coming back,” Haley says. “Trying to get used to jumping again, spinning again
 just even being on the ice.”

Scott is a 2015-19 Sunshine State Games gold medal-winning ice skater. She was awarded the 2016 Betty Stark Award for the highest combined score in the Juvenile Girls Free Skate and Short Program and the 2017 Dorothy Dodson Award winner as the top skater in the two programs for the Intermediate Ladies divisions.

Midway through the pandemic, Haley began suffering from the usual dizzy spells and headaches associated with Covid-19. 

She felt fine two weeks later. 

But, the third week, her speech slurred and she could barely stand.

“I was definitely a whole different person than I used to be,” she says. 

Her mother, Julie Scott, took her to the emergency room but got turned away due to her daughter’s Covid-19 test coming back negative. Julie took Haley to cardiology, neurology, immunology and hematology appointments before scouring the internet for some cures. After ten months in pain, Haley was recommended to IncellDx, a research group in California. 

“They were just a godsend to us,” Julie says. “They listened. Many doctors will turn you away with no answers and that’s it. They listened and at least tried things.”

In December 2021, Haley started to see results. She could walk again, talk again, and in January, she actually began to skate again. 

The 16-year-old also is completing her high school credits through Florida Virtual School, while also taking college-level classes at Pasco-Hernando State College.

“I feel thankful,” Julie says. “I’m very proud of her and I just want her to enjoy the journey, wherever it may take her.”

Before her battle with long Covid, Haley was practicing at the rink 4-5 hours a day. In January, her mission to get back on the ice started slowly, with just 30 minutes of free skating. But now, she has worked her way back to practicing with her coach, Silvia Fontana, five days a week.

Haley has trained under her coach for four years. When Silvia learned of the news of Haley having long Covid, she was devastated. Everything needed to become a professional ice skater was taken away by the illness, she says.

“At one point I just wanted her to have a regular life and just to be happy again,” Silvia says. “For us as coaches, the skating and athleticism are important. But, we care about them as people first. So, that was the main concern.”

Silvia says Haley is one in a million. Even through the hardships, her coach has seen Haley fight back and excel. And, she still believes that Haley can represent the U.S. in the Winter Olympics in four or eight years. 

“I want her to always remember where she came from,” Silvia says. “When you get to the higher level, it gets more stressful and she needs to know the strength and resilience she had during that really difficult time.”

Haley is training for the qualifying season in July. For athletes struggling with long Covid, Haley says, “it’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon.”

“Don’t lose hope,” she says. “You just have to stay positive and remind yourself who you are.”

Wiregrass Ranch High Health Fair Draws A Crowd

When Phoebe Taylor put on the drunk goggles and attempted to walk the guided pathway, she thought it would be easy. Instead, the Wiregrass Ranch High freshman was shocked to find herself stumbling throughout and sometimes off the course. 

Like Taylor, students at her school are learning the consequences of drinking and driving, the dangers of not wearing their seatbelts and the importance of mental health. 

“It’s easy for us to just go and do something dumb and regret it later,” Taylor says. “If that actually happened it could be very dangerous.”

The largest-ever Wiregrass Ranch Wellness & Safety Fair was hosted on March 9 by the school’s Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) chapter to bring awareness to mental health and promote a healthier and safer lifestyle. 

The event brought about 35 community leaders and the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) to talk to students and demonstrate the dangers of these acts.

Shaina Finkel, the president of the school’s SADD chapter and the national SADD president for the 2021-22 school year, oversaw the event. Her main goal was to have students talk to these organizations and understand the messages they are spreading.

“It’s not just going in and getting education,” Finkel said. “It’s meeting people and finding things that you might be passionate about that you didn’t know you were passionate about. It’s bringing safety and education and health to our school and it’s just allowing the students to learn.”

Finkel says there have been instances where these messages have not been reached by students; she hopes that through these fairs, students will rethink some of their previous and future decisions.

Ashley Boyles, Wiregrass Ranch High’s assistant principal, also oversaw the Wellness & Safety Fair. She says the fair is eye-opening to students and impacts them for a long time. The last time the fair occurred was two years ago, because of the pandemic, but she says students still remember and talk about it to this day. 

“We’re again trying to make sure that our students are safe not only at school, but out in the community, out on the roads,” she says. “We always say to be college-, career- and life-ready and I think this is something to be life-ready.”

Students watched as a rolling car simulator demonstrated the dangers of drinking and driving and not wearing a seatbelt in a car crash. As the car spun, dummies inside not wearing a seatbelt flew out. Florida Highway Patrol spokesperson Steve Gaskin said he still gets people coming up to him and saying they remember the visual impact, and it is one of the reasons why they buckle up today.

“If I can make an impact on each one of these kids, then that’s one crash I won’t have to work and it’s one family I won’t have to go talk to and say, ‘Hey, your child’s not coming home tonight,’” he says.

Kelsey Strigler, the vice president of Wiregrass Ranch’s SADD chapter, says the car simulator is likely the most effective demonstration to show students the importance of wearing their seatbelts. 

“Looking at it, I would be terrified,” she says. “I already do wear my seatbelt, but If I was a student who didn’t, that would really drive the point across that like you really need to wear that or you’re going to end up like the dummy on the floor.”

Among the booths was the American Foundation of Suicide’s Tampa Bay chapter run by board member Teresa Daniels. She is spreading her son Tristan Daniels’ story in hopes of saving another student’s life. 

“There is hope out there,” she said. “They could be lifesavers. They can help anyone in need.”

Gabriella Nieddialek, a SADD member, recognized the importance of this booth and is glad to now be learning about these tools. 

“A lot of teens don’t really like to come forward about mental health, and it’s definitely something that I’m glad the school introduces and is comfortable talking about,” Nieddialek said. “Definitely encouraging us to talk to people and get help.”

Wiregrass Ranch’s SADD chapter advisor Gregory Finkel is proud of how the event turned out. He watched how students interacted with community members as they talked to each other about what they learned. He says that is what the event is all about. 

“You don’t really get these opportunities too often,” Gregory Finkel said. “If we can hit one of them, just one kid right, make a difference in their lives, the better.”

Wiregrass Ranch High Senior Named National SADD President

Wiregrass Ranch High senior Shaina Finkel is the SADD National Student President for the 2021-22 school year.

Shaina Finkel was only four years old when she started going to Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) events and campaigns with her father. 

Now 16, the Wiregrass Ranch High senior will represent all 7,500 SADD chapters as the organization’s national student president for the 2021-22 school year. 

In this position, Shaina will be expected to be a spokesperson for SADD nation, oversee the Student Leadership Council and advise the SADD national Board of Directors, which is comprised of adults.

Above all, she says she is focused on improving the mental health of students across the nation. 

“I’m just really looking forward to being able to bring my ideas and the things my chapter has worked on to a bigger stage,” Shaina says. 

Shaina is the first person ever from Florida to serve in this position, and SADD CEO Rick Birt says her passion is what made her stand out. 

“Shaina is truly the embodiment of the word passion,” Birt says. “In everything she does and in every interaction you have, you see that she is truly the embodiment of this word and we are so honored and excited to have her (serving) in this role.”

Shaina has been president of Wiregrass Ranch’s SADD club since her sophomore year. She said the club opens students’ eyes to the dangers of making destructive decisions, especially driving under the influence, and the need to maintain good mental health. 

“We have English, we have history, but we don’t have a class about how to save your life,” Shaina says. “So, the fact that we have a club for that or a chapter for that, and we as peers are able to help our own peers, that’s just honestly the most beautiful thing.” 

Shaina’s father, Gregory Finkel, is the advisor of Wiregrass Ranch’s SADD club and also the school’s driving teacher. He said he can’t wait to see where her role as national student president takes his daughter.

“I’m super excited for everybody that’s going to see her, because she’s going to make a huge difference,” Gregory Finkel says. “As long as everybody listens, they will see that she’s got a true heart.”

Finkel’s mother Jessica couldn’t stop smiling when she heard the news that her daughter would be the next SADD national student president. She says Shaina is always so excited when it comes to SADD-related topics and is constantly participating in a variety of SADD events. 

“I’m so proud of her for accepting it and taking on the challenge,” Jessica says. “I’m not concerned. I know she can do all of this. She always takes on a lot, and she’s very successful at everything she takes on.”

Shaina says that SADD is already a big part — and will continue to be a big part — of her life. She is excited to represent her community on a national level and uphold the mission and vision of what SADD stands for. 

“Not only does this position give me a voice, I think it gives Wiregrass SADD a voice,” Shaina says. “It gives Wesley Chapel a voice, and it gives Florida a voice.” 

For more information about the national Students Against Destructive Decisions organization, visit SADD.org.Â