Personal Care

Personal Care is used to describe an option for seniors who cannot, or choose not, to live on their own. Residents in personal care communities are often healthy, active, somewhat independent, and may only require some oversight and assistance. They may need help with medications and daily living activities, such as bathing, grooming, eating, dressing, and toileting. Personal care communities also offer nutritious meals, programmed activities, and housekeeping. Personal care communities do not typically have nurses on staff or provide on-going medical attention to residents. Residents can receive rehabilitation services much like they would if they were discharged from a hospital back to their home. Outside agencies like skilled nursing, physical therapy, speech therapy and occupational therapy can come to the community on an as-needed basis.

We are licensed to have 30 residents in our Personal Care building. The “small house model of care” allows both privacy and community as part of a large family.

Memory Care

Legacy Place offers a specialized memory care community for individuals with cognitive impairments like Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia. Residents living in our secure dementia unit require more supervision and care. Our caring professionals provide assistance with the same daily living activities as those provided to residents living in Personal Care, but in a way that is more specific to their memory needs. Personal care communities do not typically have nurses on staff or provide on-going medical attention to residents. Residents can receive rehabilitation services much like they would if they were discharged from a hospital back to their home. Outside agencies like skilled nursing, physical therapy, speech therapy and occupational therapy can come to the community on an as-needed basis.

We are licensed to have 16 residents in Memory Care. By caring for a smaller number of residents, our staff is able to provide more one-on-one care.

Board of Directors

As a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Legacy is governed by a Board of Directors. Our board members are volunteers and are all Jehovah’s Witnesses. They have a deep commitment to providing for older friends in a spiritually rich environment.

Current Board Members:

• Board President – Darbin Skeans
• Board Secretary – Titus Kurzawa
• Board Treasurer – Glenn Remaley
• Board Member – Warren Behr
• Board Member – Irv Moore
• Board Member- David Quier
• Board Member- Debby Skeans

Management Team

Legacy Place Cottages has a management team in place to oversee daily operations. This team is led by Paul Cercone and Meghan Dunton.

Paul has worked in Long Term Care for over 30 years in a variety of settings.  For the past 20 years Paul has worked in Personal Care in the Lehigh Valley with a major focus on customer service and dementia care. He has specialized in dementia training for staff and has presented as a speaker at industry events in Pennsylvania.  He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Health Services Administration from Florida Atlantic University and a Master’s Degree in Eldercare Administration from Lynn University.

Meghan has been with Legacy Place since 2017. In addition to completing and maintaining all required certification to be a Pennsylvania Personal Care Administrator, she also holds a bachelor’s degree from Kutztown University and a Master’s Degree from Wilkes University. Her husband Kyle Dunton is our Admission Coordinator and often the first person prospective residents and families meet. Meghan, Kyle and their children attend the Macungie, PA congregation and provide strong spiritual support and understanding while meeting and exceeding all state requirements for resident care.

Our upper management team also consists of our Director of Wellness and our Resident Care Coordinator. Kelly Rice has been with Legacy Place since 2016. She was instrumental in getting our Memory Care building up and running. She has over 20 years of experience working in Personal Care. She is certified to teach CPR/First Aid; she has passed the Department’s medication training class and the practicum observer class. She is also a certified Dementia Practitioner. Shanisha Primer has been working at Legacy Place since 2017. She started as a caregiver, was promoted to med tech, then to scheduling coordinator, and now to Resident Care Coordinator. She is the Medication Trainer for our community. Kelly and Shanisha work hard to oversee the care of all our residents.

David Tretter is our Chef and oversees the Dietary Department. He was a restaurant owner for 15 years before transitioning into long-term care. He worked as a corporate trainer and the dietary supervisor for other communities before moving to Legacy Place in 2020.

Caregivers, CNAs & Med Techs

There are caregivers in our home 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. All caregivers, CNAs, and med techs receive training before beginning employment, and monthly and annual training from then on. Experienced and qualified caregivers are trained and certified as a med tech. Our med techs are responsible for following doctor’s orders when managing and administering medications to our residents. All staff, including caregivers, CNAs and med techs, meet the qualifications set forth by the Department of Human Services.

Additional Team Members

It takes many hands to run a 24 hour home. In the kitchen, we have cooks and servers. The activity department plans activities to keep our residents active, and the maintenance department takes care of our physical building on a daily basis. Additionally, we have employees working hard to coordinate residents’ appointments, housekeeping, and clerical positions. Together they work as a cohesive unit to advocate for our residents, meet state regulations, and uphold the values which are unique to our home.