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.

Publix Prepping For Big Move And Other Notes

It has been almost a decade since the plans for the Publix supermarket in the Hollybrook Plaza to move a little to the east into a newly built location were first floated.

But now, those plans finally are picking up steam.

According to permitting records filed with Pasco County, Publix is beginning the process of moving from its current location at the corner of S.R. 54 and Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. to a 9.5-acre parcel right across Wiregrass Ranch Blvd. from the Walmart.

Plans indicate that Publix, which owns the land, will build a 60,548-sq.-ft. center, which will be anchored by a 48,848-sq.-ft. grocery store, with a 2,100-sq.-ft. liquor store and 9,600 square feet of retail space.

The new Publix center will be located directly behind the Bank of America, Advance Auto Parts and Starbucks-anchored Pleasant Plaza on S.R. 54 (see map).

Permitting also was submitted last month for a retail and restaurant project to be located behind the Clearwater Crossing plaza (anchored by Glory Days) and wrapping behind the new Publix.

Wiregrass Ranch development company Locust Branch, LLC, submitted a preliminary development and construction plan for a 7,216-sq.-ft. strip center.

There are no current plans for the future of the Hollybrook Publix building. However, Scott Sheridan, the chief operating officer of Locust Branch, LLC, doesn’t think it will remain empty for long.

“I think that will be an easy fill,” he says, largely in part to the fact that it is a heavily-trafficked area. 

There are also new apartments planned just south of Hollybrook Plaza, behind the Sonny’s BBQ on BBD.

TWO MINUTE WARNING: The Sombutmai Center, located at 22835 S.R. 54 a little west of Morris Bridge Rd. in Wesley Chapel, is adding a restaurant to its plans, according to permitting records.

2 Minutes, a popular mom-and-pop  restaurant known for its large portions and located on Gall Blvd. in Zephyrhills, is planning its second location at the new Wesley Chapel-located center.

The new 2 Minutes will be 3,017-sq.-ft. and will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner.

NEW CHILDCARE OPTIONS: There are a few new childcare/education options coming for Wesley Chapel residents.

Amazing Explorers Academy (AEA), a 12,110-sq.-ft. facility which will be located just south of Overpass Rd. near Watergrass, is in permitting. AEA will offer a STEAM curriculum for 200 students between the ages of six weeks-12 years old.

Also, a 13,586-sq.-ft. Primrose School (for children in Pre-K through kindergarten) on Chancey Rd. and Persimmon Park Dr. in Wiregrass Ranch also is in permitting. A third, as-yet-unnamed 10,000-sq.-ft. childcare facility is being planned just north of the El Dorado Furniture store (see below) on Wesley Chapel Blvd.

PLACE TO SIT: Speaking of El Dorado Furniture, the 70,000-sq.-ft. store located on S.R. 54, just west of Wesley Chapel Blvd. (across from the Cypress Creek Town Center), will hold its Grand Opening in September.

El Dorado promises a different kind of furniture store experience, with Boulevard showrooms set up like strips of old-fashioned city streets, with benches and street lamps lining the path.

Calling All Foodies! It’s Time For the 2022 Reader Survey!

For you oldtimers out there, it doesn’t seem that long ago that the debate over who had the best food in New Tampa or Wesley Chapel came down to the ABC Pizza on S.R. 54 and the gas station in front of Pebble Creek (Spoiler alert: It was the ABC Pizza).

Now, the choices for good food in both of our distribution areas are seemingly endless. CLICK HERE FOR THIS YEAR’S FOOD SURVEY.

In fact, in Wesley Chapel and New Tampa alone, there are close to 200 restaurants, and pretty much everything is covered, except for maybe Vietnamese, although a quality full-on Vietnamese restaurant is going to be opening soon just south of County Line Rd. (scoop alert!).

Otherwise, if you have a hankering for something, there are multiple places to satisfy your cravings.

But, to determine what the best places are (or, at least, your favorite places), we need your help. Any Reader Survey is only as good as, well, its readers. So whattya say? Take a few seconds and fill this out.

There may be a few more categories this year than usual, but we think we’ve actually made it simpler for you — just type in your favorite choices, although we do ask that your rank your favorite three restaurants in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel overall. Of course, if you see this in your copy of the Neighborhood News, and throw it in an envelope and mail it to us.

Heck, if you prefer writing it out, you can take a picture of your ballot once you fill it in and even email it to john@ntneighborhoodnews.com.

We even have prizes for a few of the lucky ones that do!

We — and the local eateries — do truly appreciate your participation. 

So, what’s different this year? 

Well, we’ve added a “Best Dish” category, because sometimes, that’s the reason you’re going to a certain restaurant. Maybe the place isn’t your favorite overall, but the spaghetti and meatballs are simply to die for. Some restaurants just do one thing better than anyone else, so fill us in!

We’ve also added a “Favorite Appetizer” category because it can make or break a dining experience. These days, mozzarella sticks and loaded potato skins simply aren’t enough. Restaurants are really putting some serious effort into their pre-meal offerings. And really, who hasn’t ordered nothing more than an appetizer (or two) as their meal?

We’ve also added a Covid-19-inspired category — “Best Coffee Shop,” because a lot of us work out of a coffee shop these days.

We’ve also added “Best KRATE at The Grove,” because, well, duh! While you can certainly vote for any of the container restaurants in any other category, we decided that the container park really needed its own category. Plus, we’re curious to see how this one will turn out.

We decided to split the dessert categories into “Best Ice Cream/Frozen Yogurt (FroYo)/Gelato” and “Best Bakery” sweets, and added a “Best Fried Chicken/Wings” category, given “Best Indian Food” and “Best Latin (Other Than Mexican)” their own categories for the first time, added “Best Breakfast/Brunch” and brought back the “Best Burger” category.

And, with the exception of the KRATEs, any of your favorites can be in New Tampa (zip code 33647, as well as in the Palms Connection plaza on E. Bearss Ave. in 33613) or Wesley Chapel (zip codes 33543, 33544 and 33545, as well as 33559, which is technically Lutz, but it allows you to include picks near the Tampa Premium Outlets, since so many locals love so many of those places to eat). 

We think we have everything covered this time around. While it might be a little more work for you than when we gave you the names of pretty much every restaurant in our distribution areas, our goal was to present enough choices so that this year’s Reader’s Survey would present the most complete and accurate snapshot of your views of the dining experience in Wesley Chapel and New Tampa. 

Now, it’s your turn. Thanks in advance for entering, which, one more time, you can do by CLICKING HERE. — JCC & GN

USF Music School Seeking Participants For Cognitive Study 

Jennifer Bugos, Ph.D., is heading up a study at the USF School of Music that will examine the effects of music training interventions on memory and motor function. (Photo: Charmaine George)

Music touches people creatively and socially, but it also deeply affects our brains.

Jennifer Bugos, Ph.D., first considered that idea when she was much younger, as a secondary caregiver for her grandparents. With her grandfather’s ability to speak declining to the point where he could barely utter a sentence, she would play the piano, and he would sing every word to “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” Nearby, her grandmother was in a near vegetative state, but her toe would still tap along to the music.

These experiences led Dr. Bugos to her life’s work, studying, as she says, “what it is about music that is so special.”

Her background in music education includes Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Master of Education and Bachelor of Arts degrees in Music Education, plus studies in gerontology and post-doctorate study in neuropsychology. She serves as Associate Professor of Music Education in the School of Music at the University of South Florida (USF), with two decades of research and a 22-page curriculum vitae detailing the research she has done to understand the connection between music and cognitive performance, among other accomplishments.

“Music is a powerful stimulus that we know can help to improve memory,” she says. “It’s a powerful way to exercise the brain.”

Last year, the National Endowment for the Arts chose USF as one of just six nationally designated research labs in the area of “the arts, creativity, cognition and learning.”

As principal investigator, Dr. Bugos will lead researchers who will study the effects of music training interventions — specifically, subjects will participate in music classes — on memory and motor function.

Dr. Jennifer Bugos

The study is called Cognition and Coordination Across the Lifespan in Music, or the acronym CALM. It is open to adults ages 18-25, as well as to adults over age 60, with plans to recruit children ages 8 to 12 in the future. Participants should have no or very little formal training in music.

“One of the key components of the study is that the task must be novel — or new – to participants,” explains Dr. Bugos. “We’re looking for people with three or less years of previous formal private musical training and not currently reading music and engaging in musical performance.”

She defines “previous formal private musical training” as one-on-one instruction. If someone has participated in a band or chorus in high school, or something similar, that would not disqualify them from participating in the study.

Those who do participate will be randomly assigned to a group for their music lessons. Because the groups are assigned at random, participants will not get to choose the type of music lessons they will receive. The classes will meet twice a week for 12 weeks and study participants are asked to also practice at home 30 minutes a day, or three hours a week. There are various classes available to accommodate different schedules.

Cognitive training interventions contain task novelty, progressive difficulty, practice components, social elements, and are “ecologically valid,” which means that individuals can use the new skill in everyday life.

“Many of our previous participants can play for their own enjoyment or report playing ‘Happy Birthday’ for their grandchildren. Dr. Bugos says. “Some even perform at church or just for their own enjoyment.” 

She adds, “It’s a very rewarding experience. Music training contains all of the active ingredients of a cognitive training intervention.”

Because the programs are structured as cognitive training programs, Dr. Bugos says, “They are a bit more intense than a traditional music lesson.” She explains that it’s important for the lessons to be rigorous — and for participants to attend regularly and practice at home — so they can see gains.

She also notes that the programs are engaging and that people who participate will notice benefits in terms of cognitive performance. They also will make social connections. She says previous participants still sometimes get together for coffee, for example. 

Lessons are offered free of charge, and participants will receive all materials and access to instruments for the duration of the program. In addition, they are required to participate in four research sessions, for which they will be compensated. USF parking passes also are provided.

“It’s a great program,” Dr. Bugos says. “There are cognitive benefits, motor system benefits, and learning a new skill that can last a lifetime.”

Additional studies are open for participants who are currently cancer patients or have experienced heart failure.

All studies require participants to follow Covid-19 procedures, including wearing masks during the lessons. 

The first session begins in September, but new sessions will begin every four months, so those who are interested can feel free to reach out, even if their schedule doesn’t permit them to participate in the September sessions.

Partners include Kuumba Dancers and Drummers and the Patel Conservatory at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts. The Gasparilla Music Foundation also is a partner on a series of studies examining the effects of music training on coordination and cognition in children.

To see if you qualify to participate in the study, or for more information, contact Dr. Jennifer Bugos at (813) 974-2753 or email her at BugosJ@usf.edu.

Another Hospital (Or Two?) Headed To Wiregrass Ranch Area

Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute is also ready to begin construction in Wiregrass Ranch.

Orlando Health Wiregrass Ranch Hospital is coming to town, which will give Wesley Chapel three hospitals.

If that seems like a lot, it’s not, says Wiregrass Ranch developer JD Porter.

“Quite honestly, I doubt it’s the last announcement of something of that nature that you will see before end of the year,” Porter says. “A lot of people want to be here.”

For now, Orlando Health has made it official — it will be Wesley Chapel’s hospital No. 3, joining AdventHealth Wesley Chapel (AHWC) and the soon-to-be-finished BayCare Hospital Wesley Chapel, which is scheduled to open in 2023. AHWC and Baycare are both located on Bruce B. Downs Blvd., a few miles from each other.

On July 12, Orlando Health announced it would be building a multi-level hospital in the Wiregrass Ranch master-planned community. Orlando Health Wiregrass Ranch will be a 300-room facility at the northeast corner of the S.R. 56 and Wiregrass Ranch Blvd. 

The property purchase is expected to close later this fall. The hospital has filed plans with Pasco County and had a pre-app meeting with county planners on July 25.

The new hospital is expecting to break ground by the end of the year.

“At Orlando Health Wiregrass Ranch Hospital, we will provide a broad range of health care services, all in one convenient location,” said John Moore, senior vice president of Orlando Health’s West Region. “Patients will receive exceptional emergency and inpatient care from clinical experts in multiple specialties, the highest quality diagnostic services, and seamless access to all of Orlando Health’s trusted primary and specialty care providers.”

Porter is thrilled to be bringing Orlando Health to Wiregrass Ranch. He said landing AHWC in 2012 was one of his proudest accomplishments, and Orlando Health is another.

As plans for the long-awaited Wiregrass Ranch Town Center progress, Porter was hoping to make a big splash for something to anchor the town center that will both be a job provider, produce daily foot traffic and provide a higher quality of life needed to make the town center a one-of-a-kind success.

“For us to make it successful, we needed something good as an anchor,” Porter says. “Not apartments, not retail, and we need daytime traffic. Having Orlando Health on that corner within walking distance of the town center is an absolute game changer, and it’s what we’ve needed for the past 5-6 years.”

Orlando Health, founded more than 100 years ago, is headquartered in Orlando, and is a not-for-profit healthcare organization with $8 billion in assets. The 3,200-bed system includes 10 award-winning hospitals, 9 hospital-based emergency rooms and 7 free-standing ERs.

“Their phasing plan and aggressive style and size of the facility they are going to put in makes a big statement, from our perspective,” Porter says.

The five-story Orlando Health Wiregrass Ranch will be the largest hospital in Wesley Chapel. Its 300 planned rooms are more than AHWC (148) and the upcoming BayCare Hospital (60) combined. AHWC has room to expand to 300 rooms, which could eventually give the Wesley Chapel area 660 total hospital rooms.

A fourth hospital, or specialized medical facility, in Wesley Chapel could be announced by the end of the year. Porter says he can’t say which brand it is, or where it will be located. It appears that it will likely be in the north end of Wiregrass Ranch, and Porter would only say “the Bruce B. Downs corridor will have a strong medical presence.”

According to Porter, the accelerated growth in Wesley Chapel warrants the additional hospital. Before tabbing Orlando Health to build Orlando Health Wiregrass Ranch Hospital, he says several healthcare analysts told him the Wesley Chapel area, which has 10s of thousands of new homes already being built or in planning, was ripe for more hospital beds.

“We didn’t want to oversaturate, but after going through and working with a couple of medical office folks that survey every market throughout the country, they said they have never seen a place that has the potential for growth on the medical, office and hospital side like Wesley Chapel and Wiregrass Ranch,” Porter says.

Orlando Health Wiregrass Ranch will also have a new neighbor. Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute (FCS) has filed plans with Pasco County planners for a two-story, 56,559-sq.-ft. medical facility about a quarter mile east of where new hospital will be located.

FCS will be located at the southwest corner of Hueland Pond Blvd. and S.R. 56. and will be the second major cancer center facility in Wiregrass Ranch. The 28,000-sq.-ft. Moffitt Cancer Center at Wesley Chapel opened on the AHWC campus in May 2021.

FCS was founded in 1984 and has nearly 100 locations in Florida. According to its website, FCS utilizes a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to cancer treatment and specializes in innovative clinical research and cutting-edge technologies. FCS claims to offer patients access to more clinical trials than any other private oncology practice in Florida. In the past five years, most new cancer drugs approved for use in the U.S. were studied in clinical trials with FCS participation prior to approval.

Porter says that along with the nearby North Tampa Behavioral Health hospital, residents of Wiregrass Ranch will have access to a variety of top medical options.

“It’s really creating an entirely different sector than what you have at Advent and what you have at BayCare,” he says. “We’re going to continue to grow that as long as the market remains solid.”