Cherry Hill opens new Wellness Room

Angie Orlandi, who at age 87 is president of the Residents Council at Cherry Hill Manor, helped Mayor Joseph Polisena cut the ribbon for the new Wellness Room.

“Being spoiled in a nursing home is pretty good,” she said.

Orlandi won’t be the only one to use the Wellness Room, which last week opened thanks to an ongoing project of Cherry Hill Activities Director Cheryl Perry.

“The Activity Department at Cherry Hill Manor believes in treating the whole resident ... body, mind and spirit,” Perry said. “Here in our Wellness Room, we will be offering holistic modalities such as massage, guided meditation, Reiki, re-connective therapy, guided imagery and relaxation sessions.”

Perry believes the addition will improve care and quality of life for residents of the facility.

“These modalities will be instrumental in decreasing pain, anxiety and behaviors. In addition, the relaxation/pampering sessions will assist in giving our residents that extra TLC that we all need from time to time,” she said.

At the ribbon cutting, several of Cherry Hill’s practitioners were on hand to answer questions about the new room and available programs. One of those staffers is Lorraine Charney, who is a certified Level II Reiki practitioner. She will be joined in the Wellness Room at times by Deborah Dors, executive director at Cherry Hill Manor, Perry, Annie Greeno, Tracey Cordeiro, Vivian Mendonca and Kathy Reed.

Charney helped to create an aesthetic for the room, including the door, which has a trompe l’oeil look to it.

“We all take pride in this beautiful room,” Charney said.

Affixed to the ribbon awaiting the Wellness Room opening was a sign that read, “Life is a Journey to enter.”

“At Cherry Hill Manor, we want that road to be as healthy and enjoyable as possible for each and every resident,” Perry said.

Dors praised Perry for her work on the project.

“She kept pushing and pushing me to let her proposal for the Wellness Room to be done. Without Cheryl, this wouldn’t have happened,” she said.

The Wellness Room has a private area that features four treatment stations and can hold up to eight people for one guided meditation session.

“We’ll have two, one-hour sessions every Monday,” Perry said.

Polisena said the addition is just one more thing to be proud of at Cherry Hill, which he called “one of the great facilities” in the town.

“My late aunt was here ... she never wanted for anything. These people, from the maintenance staff to the administration, do a first-class job,” he said.

Polisena thanked Dors, Perry and the other staff members who gathered in the second floor lobby for the Wellness Room dedication.

Rev. Gretchen Elmendorf delivered a blessing for the Wellness Room opening. Perry and members of the Activities Department staff treated the day’s guests to refreshments and drinks following the dedication.