Daily life
A Day at Melrose
Days at Melrose follow a familiar rhythm, with meals, medication support, and activities at regular times and room for each person to shape their own day. Here is what a typical weekday can look like. Exact times will be set before we open, and residents have a say in their own schedule.
A typical weekday
Morning
Waking up and breakfast
The day starts at an easy pace. Residents get up, take care of their personal routines, and have breakfast at the dining table. Morning medications are offered at a set time, with staff nearby to help.
Late morning
Skills, groups, and appointments
Late morning is open for the things that fill out a week, such as practicing daily living skills, joining a group activity, or meeting with an outside provider. What this looks like for each person comes from their service plan.
Midday
Lunch
Lunch is served at the shared dining table. Food and snacks are available at any time.
Afternoon
Outings and personal time
Afternoons are flexible. Residents might go for a walk, run an errand, take part in an activity in the community, or spend quiet time at home.
Evening
Dinner
Residents and the staff on shift gather for dinner at the dining table. Evening medications are offered at a set time.
Late evening
Free time
Evenings are unhurried. Residents can watch television, play games, call family by phone or video, or spend time on their own.
Night
Quiet hours
The house settles down for the night. Quiet hours help everyone rest, and a staff member is awake and on site all night.
Weekends
Weekends
Weekends keep the same rhythm of meals and medication times, and everything else is a little slower. Mornings are unhurried, and there is more room for personal time, time outdoors, outings, and visits with family and friends. Residents choose weekend outings together at house meetings, and staff help with the planning and with transportation. An outing can be a walk around the neighborhood, or a trip on public transit to a park, a library, a café, or a place of worship.
Meals
Meals
Meals are served at the shared dining table three times a day, at times similar to those in the community, and food and snacks are available at any time. Menus are prepared and posted for residents at least seven days ahead. They offer variety and good portions, and residents share their preferences and help plan them.
We make reasonable accommodations for religious and vegetarian preferences. A resident on a special diet ordered by a medical provider has meals planned for it, with their input. If a resident misses a meal, we make an alternative meal available. The kitchen is part of the home, and you can see it on our photos page.
Medications
Medication support
Medications are given only with a signed order from a physician. Staff who help with medications are trained by a licensed medical professional. When a resident can take their own medication, staff prompt and watch to make sure the dose is taken, and every dose is recorded. Medications are stored securely and labeled, and a prescriber is told promptly about any refusal, missed dose, or reaction. Prescriptions are reviewed regularly, as OHA requires.
Family and friends
Visitors and staying in touch
Residents can have visitors of their choosing at any time, in the common areas or in their own room. Quiet hours help everyone rest, so we ask visitors to keep noise low at night. Residents can use a phone in private, receive and open their own mail, and call or video chat with family and friends.
Who is here
Staff on every shift
At least one staff member is on duty at all times, and our night staff stay awake all night. Every staff member completes orientation before starting and continues training each year.
Your say
Your say in your schedule
The daily rhythm gives the house a shared shape, and inside it each resident has the freedom and support to control their own schedule and activities. Residents choose how to spend free time, which groups to join, and when to be outdoors, and they can go outdoors every day. What a resident wants their days to include goes into their service plan, which they help write. The Our Program page explains how that plan is written.
Related Information
Our Program
Daily support, medication support, skills practice, and coordinated care.
See the home
Photos of the bedrooms, shared spaces, and yard.
