Frequently Asked Questions
General
About EastView
- Founded in 2005; fully operational in 2012
- Nonprofit charitable organization
- Donations accepted – gifts are tax-deductible
- 80% refundable entry fee for independent living
- No entry fee for apartments and studios in residential & memory care
- Offering 99 homes with a wide choice of pricing options and floor plans
- Minimum age of 62
- Board of Directors includes resident member
- 14-passenger accessible shuttle bus; accessible van
- Tobacco Free community
About Middlebury
- Population: 6,600 (2010); 15 faith communities, county seat
- Distance to Burlington International Airport: 35 miles
- Public Transportation: Tri-Valley Transit
- Home of Middlebury College
- Other local treasures: Town Hall Theater, Henry Sheldon Museum, VT Folklife Center, Morgan Horse Farm, Trail Around Middlebury, Green Mountain National Forest, Porter Medical Center, Middlebury Natural Foods Co-op, Middlebury Farmers Market, Festival on-the-Green, Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival, art galleries, tennis, golf, lakes, local wineries, distilleries, cideries, and breweries.
Who owns EastView?
EastView is a free-standing, single site senior living community, recognized by the IRS as a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization, governed by a local board of directors.
How big is EastView?
We think EastView is perfectly sized. EastView offers 30 cottages, 32 independent living apartments, 19 residential care apartments, and 18 memory care studios. Our senior living community is located one mile from the center of Middlebury in a beautiful, 40-acre meadow graced with a panoramic view of the Green Mountains. As of April 2024, EastView had nearly 130 residents and over 100 full- and part-time employees. Our community is large enough for diversity and small enough for comfortable familiarity.
Is there a waiting list for EastView?
We have regular vacancies in our apartments and cottages, as our residents’ situations change. We also manage a Priority Waiting List and recommend to those who are thinking about EastView for their future that they join this waiting list. The deposit to join the waiting list is $1,000. It is fully refundable and is deducted from your initial invoice when you move to EastView.
Does EastView allow pets?
Absolutely. EastView recognizes pets as important family members and readily welcomes them to EastView. Two well-behaved pets (small-to-medium sized dogs, cats, birds) or a manageable fishbowl is our requested limit per household. Please request a copy of our pet policy for more detail.
Who manages your dining service?
EastView employs its own talented culinary team. Our focus is on fresh, local, nutritious and delicious dining, served by a courteous wait staff in one of our three dining rooms or our Bistro.
Is there a salon on the premises?
EastView has an onsite salon with many services available, including haircuts, color, perms, wash & set, and styling. Salon services are available to EastView community members.
Are there accommodations for guests?
You may host guests in your home. Depending on availability, EastView may also have an apartment at which your guests may stay for a nominal charge.
When is the best time to move to a retirement community?
The decision to move to a retirement community is uniquely personal, driven by multiple factors and made after a great deal of thought and discussion. We encourage you to visit EastView so that you can focus directly on the features most important to you while enjoying the beauty and vibrancy of our community. We regularly hear from our residents that their biggest regret is that they didn’t make the decision to move earlier to take full advantage of the security, services and social enrichment so prevalent at EastView.
Is smoking allowed?
EastView is tobacco-free. As a community focused on healthy living, smoking is not allowed anywhere at EastView.
Is there space for my car?
Yes, many of our residents arrive with a car but it is quite possible to live comfortably without one. EastView is a scheduled bus stop on one of the main routes of our local public shuttle bus system. Tri-Valley Transit pulls up to EastView’s lobby door hourly Monday through Friday from 9:45 am through 1:45 pm and by reservation. The schedule is posted in our main lobby.
EastView provides parking in two parking lots at the Inn, offers covered parking for an additional entry fee, and each cottage has both driveway parking spaces and at least one garage. In addition, EastView provides weekly scheduled trips to grocery stores and the farmer’s market using our own accessible shuttle bus and van, and can arrange for transportation to appointments and meetings. We also use these vehicles, along with our Prius, regularly to enjoy performances, partake of sporting events, and explore regional highlights every week.
Residential Care & Memory Care
What is Residential Care?
EastView is licensed by the Vermont Department of Aging and Disabilities as a Level III residential care home. Our responsibilities as a residential care home include providing room, board, personal care, general supervision, and medication management. Our care staff assists daily in a variety of activities that may be burdensome to accomplish without assistance, overly time consuming or that restrict a resident from enjoying social activities or personal interests. Some of the support we provide includes assistance with dressing, bathing, toileting, taking medication, grooming, eating, transferring, and ambulation.
EastView’s license also includes licensure of our secure GardenSong memory care neighborhood where we offer residential care services that support individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. While we assist GardenSong residents to accomplish the same daily living tasks that our residential care residents accomplish, our approach is often fine-tuned to better aid those living with memory loss. We provide both verbal and non-verbal cueing, integrating proven techniques to enable the greatest success for each of our residents.
How do I know if my loved one needs Residential Care?
This is an important question and one many people wrestle with. If you are providing care for someone, it is important to evaluate both their needs and yours. Would he or she benefit from round-the-clock support, daily social interactions, and an environment designed for easy mobility? Are you concerned that your loved one is depressed, socially isolated, not eating properly, or not maintaining good hygiene?
Are you struggling to keep up with all of your responsibilities – work, family, community activities, and having time for personal interests while trying to support the increasing care needs of a friend or family member? If yes, we encourage you to contact us. We would like to help you explore options that could assist your loved one in regaining independence and a more satisfying life, while possibly assisting you in rebalancing your own life.
Do you do any kind of assessment before someone moves to your Residential Care or Memory Care programs?
Yes, our Senior Nurse will meet with you and your loved one and collaboratively devise a care plan that best meets both medical and social needs. Our assessment is really a conversation that involves the prospective resident, family members, and current medical team members and caregivers.
We incorporate this information into a personal care plan to guide our team both in orchestrating a smooth transition to the new apartment or studio at EastView and in providing on-going individualized care and support. The more we know about each of our residents, the better able we are to customize our care to particular needs and preferences.
How often do you update a resident’s care plan?
At a minimum, there is an annual review with family. However, we recognize that on-going communication is essential to ensuring success for each resident. Our lives are dynamic and our caregivers are mindful that needs may change over time. In fact, after a resident has lived at EastView for a month or two, the synergy and benefits of EastView’s care system coupled with the beautiful setting, regular nutritious meals, medication management, and a socially-stimulating environment may combine in ways that enhance a resident’s well-being and independence to the point that they need less support and their Level of Care plan could then be reduced.
