(Provided by Gilbert Guide's on-site reviewer)

Tel Hai, which means "Hill of Life" in Hebrew, has offered seniors a place to share their faith, enrichment and recreation for fifty years. The campus, which abuts a dairy farm, spans three hundred acres. A tranquil pond is home to gaggles of geese and ducks, ever grateful for the occasional breadcrumb. A web of intersecting paths invites leisurely strolls. Verdant gardens, the pièce de résistance , infuse this hilly retirement community with color and life. Tel Hai's charming country cottages and spacious apartments accommodate independent and assisted living. Tai Hai is billed as a continuing care retirement community, but they do not guarantee care through end-of-life. An adult day care center is also on-site. Current members of the Tel Hai community have priority for entering The Meadows Health Center, although it is also open to the larger community. The nursing facility boasts a beautiful courtyard, where residents can enjoy a cold glass of lemonade under the shade of an umbrella-topped table. The planned additions of street lamps and playground equipment will enhance the courtyard's aesthetic appeal and encourage intergenerational involvement with children from a local day care and an inner-city youth program. The tastefully decorated interior, complete with fresh and silk flower arrangements, colorful walls and artwork, promotes serenity and rejuvenation. Brightly painted walls and linoleum floors in residents' rooms create a bright, clean space in which they can strew photographs, mementos and furnishings. The community center, around which the Meadows Health Center is built, has a heated indoor pool, a library and numerous lounges. Here, residents can socialize, reflect and engage in edifying activities. Pet therapy, live music and entertainment, and task-oriented projects round out the mix. Staff members support residents in learning new skills through painting, quilting and ceramics classes. Each of three wings in the Meadows center boasts its own dining room, a large activity room and a living room with a solarium. Staff at Heather Gardens, the secure dementia wing, guarantees the safety of memory-impaired residents while encouraging peer involvement. The space is warm and homey, with hardwood flooring and carpet, and abundant natural light. A large fish tank provides visual stimulation. At the time of our visit, residents were split into two groups, one watching TV and the other enjoying supervised time outdoors. Residents in both groups appeared enthused and grateful for the involvement. A gathering room, activity room and dining room provide common space for residents to socialize and relax. Volunteers are a staple at this facility, involving themselves in every aspect of the Tel Hai experience.