Prime Time Living 9.24.25 - Flipbook - Page 4
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A Special Advertising Section of Baltimore Sun Media Group | Wednesday, September 24, 2025
SPONSORED
Providing Seniors
with a Quality,
Affordable Home
Catholic Charities
W
hen seniors reach an age when they are looking to move to a senior living
community, being able to find a place that is safe, vibrant and full of activities can be costly. However, Catholic Charities aims to alleviate that worry,
according to Diamond Moore, Resident Service Compliance Coordinator at Catholic
Charities Senior Communities.
“It should not be hard, especially at
that time in their lives. You should be
able to enjoy your golden years without
always having to worry about money,”
Moore says. This is the driving force
behind Catholic Charities’ 24 senior
communities it operates in Baltimore
City, Baltimore, Anne Arundel, Garrett
and Harford Counties (https://cc-md.
org/senior-communities).
“All senior housing communities have
the same mission to provide housing
for seniors, but our housing, compared
to other senior housing, is focused on
affordable housing for those on a fixed
income who still deserve dignity of life
and a nice home,” says Moore, who has
worked in social work, long-term care,
rehab and palliative care, end-of-life
planning, and as a medical technician.
She explains that residents’ gross
income is an essential factor in qualifying for residency in any of Catholic
Charities’ communities based on guidelines by the U.S. Department of Housing
and Urban Development (HUD). There
are also a few communities designated
as tax credit properties. The minimum
age is 62, except for five properties
where disabled individuals under age 62
can qualify.
Moore adds that those who reside in
Catholic Charities’ communities enjoy
more than simply an apartment home
– they also benefit from a real sense
of community. Residents enjoy a variety of on-site services such as laundry
room, multipurpose room, library, lounges, landscaped gardens and outdoor
spaces, personal emergency response
system, electronically controlled access,
and wheelchair accessibility. “One
of our newer built properties, Village
Crossroads in Nottingham, even has a
movie theater,” Moore notes.
“We also offer a supportive environment with service coordinators at all of
our properties who are advocates for
our residents. They are able to identify
those residents who maybe have health
issues and be able to offer a resource or
support. If they’re starting to decline and
need a higher level of care, the service
coordinator helps the family and the
resident transition with that. If they’re
experiencing an incontinence issue, we
have diapers and undergarments that
we can give to them,” Moore says.
She says that small pets are welcome,
and all communities are 100% smoke
free. “Some residents come in here and
they are lifelong smokers, so service
coordinators will offer smoking cessation tools to help them to stop smoking,”
she says.
Catholic Charities also educates residents by bringing in experts to discuss
issues such as changes to Medicare
and Medicaid and holds special events,
birthday parties, and holiday celebrations, recognizing that socialization is
important as one ages.
At nine of its communities, residents
also enjoy the Caring Home Services
Program (CHS).
“We offer light housekeeping, daily
meals, and laundry services, and the
CHS supervisor meets with residents to
determine other needs, such as needing
a standby assistant in order to shower,
wash your back, and wash your hair.
Perhaps they need an escort to the
dining room or someone to take a walk
with them; we can help with that,” Moore
says. She notes that there is a monthly
fee for CHS services in addition to rent;
however, the Maryland Department of
Aging offers subsidies.
In the end, Catholic Charities aims to
provide not just an apartment, but also
a home.
“Sometimes we’ll even get individuals
who are coming from a homeless shelter, and they arrive with nothing – no
furniture, bed or anything. Our service
coordinators will get together and provide furniture and a welcome basket, get
them comfortable, fill their refrigerator
and ensure that the resident is comfortable and feels safe. We just really want
them to feel like this is their home,”
Moore says.
