Eastcastle Place sits right in the heart of Milwaukee's East Side, being part of the community for over 135 years since starting as the Milwaukee Protestant Home for the Aged back in 1884, and now folks talk about it as a historic preservation site ever since 1984, so it keeps some older touches while bringing in modern comforts and spaces, and throughout the years Eastcastle Place stuck to serving seniors and now runs as a nonprofit community with both English-speaking staff and residents, where people have choices of one-bedroom, two-bedroom, or studio apartments, and cats and dogs can live there too, though dogs can't weigh more than 40 pounds. Eastcastle Place stands out because it offers a full range of care under one roof, being a Continuing Care Retirement Community, which means folks can start out in independent living, and as needs grow, get help with assisted living, move to memory care, or even transition to skilled nursing or rehab as part of the Bradford Terrace Health and Rehabilitation Center, which got some high ratings from U.S. News and World Report.
There's all kinds of places for residents and their guests, like large and small dining areas, a café or bistro, private dining rooms for events, a movie room, a piano or organ, and different rooms and centers for games, arts and crafts, woodworking, and a fitness center too, which has classes like Tai Chi, water aerobics, stretching, yoga or chair yoga, plus a swimming pool, Jacuzzi, and raised garden beds outside, so you see folks outside on the walking paths or in common gardens that attract butterflies and hummingbirds, and there's comfy indoor areas with a central fireplace, a TV lounge, and a small library, with Wi-Fi throughout and a computer or media center for going online. Eastcastle Place allows smoking outdoors, and is non-smoking inside, and has a secure memory care section that sits separate from the rest, with technology like bracelets and wandering alert systems, so staff get notified fast if someone exits into an unsafe area, and it has trained staff for folks with memory loss or behavior issues, plus nurses, doctors, and visiting specialists coming by for medicine management, diabetic care, help with bathing and transfers, or speech and physical therapy.
Meals get cooked by a professional chef, with restaurant-style dining, room service, and special menus for diets like vegetarian, vegan, Kosher, gluten-free, diabetes-friendly, low or no sodium, and no-sugar meals, plus guests can join for a meal, and there's housekeeping, laundry, beautician, barber shop, grocery shopping, and interior and exterior home maintenance offered, with a volunteer-run shop called The Treasure Chest, where donated items from residents help fund scholarships for staff. All apartments have air conditioning, cable or satellite TV, telephone, private bathrooms with wheelchair-accessible showers or tubs, some have full kitchens or kitchenettes, and ground floor units are available, while security monitoring happens 24 hours a day and there's a call system for help at any hour, and residents get care with daily life from dressing to moving or mental wellness. Resident parking, complimentary transportation, and extra transportation for a fee are options, and public transit isn't far off.
In terms of activities, there's a Director of Community Life, an Activities Coordinator, and a full-time activity director scheduling group and individual things day by day, from wine tasting, karaoke, and happy hour, to educational speakers, art and music shows, trivia, Wii bowling, gardening, woodworking, dancing, birthday and holiday parties, community service, intergenerational meetings with kids, pet programs, and visits from priests, chaplains, and Protestant or Catholic church services on-site and off-site. Residents take part in lifelong learning, brain fitness classes like Dakim, and get out on day trips or outings, while people form clubs and run their own activities alongside the community-sponsored ones. Eastcastle Place is known for being safe and accessible for people with mobility issues, with staff ready to help with any level of care, including mechanical lift transfers and support for those at risk of wandering or eloping, and the community can accept residents with challenging behaviors, with systems and staff in place to keep everyone safe. Being managed by Life Care Services®, Eastcastle Place sticks with its old mission but adapts as times change, keeping its focus on giving a stable and supportive place for older adults to live as they wish, with the full continuum of care available right on the same campus, so folks can age in place and remain with friends and staff they trust as their needs shift, and that's the sort of stability a lot of families are looking for these days.
