Rittenhouse Village at Muhlenberg

Rittenhouse Village At Muhlenberg is a senior living community located in Reading, Pennsylvania, in the 19605 area near Muhlenberg Township. It belongs to the Rittenhouse Village family of senior living communities, a group organized around the idea that residents should keep making their own decisions about how they spend their days while receiving the practical help they need. The Muhlenberg community serves older adults from Reading and the surrounding Berks County area, along with families relocating a parent or relative closer to home.

The community is one of two Rittenhouse Village locations in Pennsylvania, alongside Rittenhouse Village At Lehigh Valley, that offer the Personal Care lifestyle. Personal Care is a licensed category of senior housing specific to Pennsylvania, sitting between fully independent living and skilled nursing. It is intended for people who do not need round the clock medical treatment but who do benefit from daily assistance, supervision and a professional team on site at all hours.

Personal Care

Personal Care at Muhlenberg covers the routine tasks that can become difficult to manage alone. A health and wellness team is on site 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and support is adjusted to the individual rather than applied as a single package to everyone. Services within this lifestyle option include:

• Assistance with showering and bathing
• Help with grooming and dressing
• Medication management and administration
• Continence management
• Ongoing health monitoring by the wellness team
• Three prepared meals each day

The intent behind the program is to handle the tasks that cause difficulty while leaving everything else to the resident. Someone who needs help with medications but dresses independently receives help with medications only, and the plan is revisited as circumstances change.

SHINE Memory Care

The community also operates SHINE Memory Care, a dementia and Alzheimer's program used across Rittenhouse Village communities. The SHINE curriculum has received a national Certificate of Recognition from the Alzheimer's Association, a designation granted to programs that meet the association's standards for dementia care practice.

Team members working in memory care complete specialized certification in the program. One distinctive element is the My Story book, a handcrafted record of a resident's history, relationships, work life, preferences and routines, assembled with input from the family. Rather than sitting in a file, the book is used daily as part of the care plan, giving caregivers context for a resident's reactions, habits and interests. Activities in the memory care neighborhood are built with purpose in mind, drawing on past occupations, hobbies and familiar routines. The neighborhood itself is designed for safety and security, with layout and supervision intended to reduce confusion and allow movement without risk.

Respite Care

Short term respite stays are available for people recovering from an illness, a hospital stay or surgery, and for families who need temporary coverage while a primary caregiver travels, recovers or simply takes a break. A respite stay includes a secure, fully furnished suite, three nutritious meals plus snacks, medication administration, assistance with bathing and dressing, and access to staff on site at all hours. The community can also arrange additional rehabilitation services during a stay when they are needed. Free assessments are offered for families considering respite, which also gives prospective residents a way to experience the community before making a longer term decision.

Dining and Daily Life

Meals are served three times a day under the Sensations Dining program. Food is prepared by executive chefs and served in a dining room with tableside service rather than cafeteria style lines. Menus rotate seasonally and mix international cuisines with homemade style favorites, and residents have input into what appears on them. The dining room functions as a social setting as much as a place to eat, which matters in a residential community where shared meals often anchor the day.

Activities are coordinated by a full time activities director under the Celebrations Activities and Events program. The calendar is built around what residents actually want to do and typically includes daily exercise sessions, themed parties, educational talks, art classes, live entertainment and games. Because the schedule is shaped by resident interests, the mix changes over time rather than repeating a fixed template.

Dimensions Health and Fitness addresses wellness across several areas: social, intellectual, spiritual, physical, medical and emotional. The program includes fitness classes designed for older adults, regular wellness checks, and, where available, onsite therapies aimed at strength, balance and flexibility. Balance and mobility work is particularly relevant in this setting, since fall prevention has a direct effect on independence.

Services That Handle the Logistics

Several programs exist to remove ordinary chores and errands from residents' schedules:

• Connections Transportation provides complimentary scheduled bus and sedan service with professional drivers for shopping trips, restaurant outings, religious services, medical appointments and group excursions. Rides are requested at the concierge desk a few days ahead.
• Impressions Housekeeping and Maintenance covers weekly housekeeping, daily trash removal, home maintenance, landscaping and lawn care. An emergency call response system is in place and staff are available at all hours.
• Expressions Concierge handles dining reservations, dry cleaning, incoming and outgoing packages, flower delivery, event sign ups, and scanning, sending or notarizing documents.

Resident Programs and Guarantee

The Ambassadors Club is a resident referral program coordinated by a dedicated Ambassadors Club Coordinator. Residents who refer someone who later moves in receive rent credits, and club members are invited to exclusive parties and events and receive occasional bonuses and gifts.

Rittenhouse Village also extends a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. If a resident is not fully satisfied for any reason during the first 90 days, the lease may be ended and the community fee, if it was paid, is refunded. For families weighing a significant move, that policy reduces the risk attached to the decision.

Mission and Approach

The stated mission of Rittenhouse Village is to maintain a warm, caring environment that supports freedom of choice, respects individuality, provides personalized care and service, and protects the dignity and quality of life of residents, their families and team members. In practice that shows up in the structure of the programs: care plans tied to the individual, menus and activity calendars shaped by resident preference, and support services arranged so that residents spend their time on what they choose rather than on upkeep.

Location and Contact

Rittenhouse Village At Muhlenberg is located in Reading, Pennsylvania, 19605, convenient for families in Muhlenberg Township, Laureldale, Temple, Wyomissing and the greater Reading area. Families interested in Personal Care, SHINE Memory Care or a respite stay can arrange a tour and an assessment through the community.