The first residents have moved into Western Home Communities’ newest assisted living community on the first floor of Deery Suites. “We anticipate this will be full of people who are thriving as they age,” explained Jerry Harris, president of Cedar Falls operations.

As part of a multi-pronged effort to attract and train new employees, Western Home Communities became a Partner in Education with the Waterloo Career Center at a signing event on June 9, 2023.

Hummingbirds, finches, sparrows, chickadees and a noisy red wing blackbird have visited the Thalman Square courtyard this spring, to the delight of residents and thanks to a volunteer effort spearheaded by villa residents.

Villa residents Loyce and Jerry Dumke take full advantage of Western Home Communities’ proximity to the Cedar Valley Trails, a network of more than 128 miles of paved biking and walking trails.

It’s hard to leave the host chair behind after a long career in radio and television. For villa resident Roy Justis, though, the allure of returning to that seat came from a desire to reconnect with his home town.

Western Home Communities will use a $1.34 million grant from Iowa Workforce Development to educate up to 135 new certified nurse aides (CNAs) and licensed practical nurses (LPNs) over three years.

If you haven’t heard of CROSSNET, you’re not alone. According to Forbes, it’s a new game that was conceived in 2017 and is a cross between four square and volleyball.

Jane Doty always dabbled in painting but it wasn’t until she retired in 2013 that she began to paint more and told herself, “I’m going to get a little more serious about this.”

Non-stop chatter overflowed into the hallways as students from Cedar Falls, Don Bosco and Wapsie Valley high schools met with residents of Western Home Communities for a final time in the fall semester as part of the CAPS program.

You can’t help but look across Jane Anderson’s array of candies and mini “gingerbread” houses with childlike wonder. She has nearly every candy you can think of, organized for a festive afternoon of decorating mini-houses made of graham crackers.

Laughs, encouragement, accomplishments. That may be the best way to describe what it’s like sitting in with the small group of knitters that gathers every Wednesday afternoon at The Market in Jorgensen Plaza.

An overhaul of décor throughout Windhaven Assisted Living, planned for 2020 and interrupted by the pandemic, is receiving rave reviews.

A villa couple proves you don’t need a professional degree in arts to become prolific creators – just a shared love of creativity and the curiosity to pursue new interests.

Harry’s passion for climbing began as a teenager when his family visited Colorado. Harry says, “I saw Pikes Peak and I told myself I was going to be on top of that one day.”

Just a few years ago, Marv Dillavou reintroduced himself to beekeeping. With experience as a youth, he introduced a colony of bees on his acreage and his apple tree produced three bushels of apples when it produced none before.

Bob chose the military as a career, enlisting on May 20, 1946, the day after his high school graduation, and heading to San Diego for boot camp. He retired as a commander 27 years later and insists he doesn’t deserve the status of veteran – he views veterans as those who made greater sacrifices than his.