Meramec Bluffs:
A Continuing Care Retirement Community

What We Offer

One of the unique features of Meramec Bluffs is our Continuum of Care. A continuing care retirement community, we offer independent living, residential care, memory care, skilled nursing, and REACH Short Stay rehabilitation services all here on-site. Our senior living counselors can assist you in identifying which program is right for you as well as provide pricing and availability.

To learn more about any of our levels of service, please click on the links below.

Independent Living

We offer 260 spacious senior living apartment homes and 25 patio homes. Services include a meal plan for on-site dining, twice monthly cleaning, maintenance, an urgent call system and many paid utilities. And best of all, you get to enjoy your life while we take care of the day-to-day necessities.

REACH Short Stay

If you need short-term rehabilitation following a qualifying hospital stay, you can find it through Meramec Bluffs’ REACH Short Stay program. Here, you can benefit from our team of licensed professionals in a comfortable, homelike setting.

Residential Care

In our 56 private residential care apartments, residents benefit from 24-hour staffing, help with personal care, medication assistance, weekly housekeeping, linen service, and three daily meals. This program helps you maintain your independence while having someone available at all times to assist you when needed.

Memory Care Assisted Living

Meramec Bluffs offers two controlled access memory care neighborhoods for residents who have Alzheimer’s disease or other memory impairments. We offer memory care assisted living for ambulatory residents experiencing early phases of impairment, as well as 24-hour skilled care specially tailored to residents with advanced forms of Alzheimer’s. Here, we offer private rooms in warm, welcoming living spaces, where residents and staff interact in a comfortable, relationship-based setting.

Skilled Nursing

Meramec Bluffs provides private and companion rooms for residents who need 24-hour professional nursing care. Our care center features on-call nursing assistance, licensed medication management, an incontinence care program, and medical director oversight.

Other Services

In-Home Services

Not ready to make the move to a senior living community yet? Lutheran Senior Services offers a wide array of in-home services to help older adults continue to live safely and happily in their current houses.

• Our professional caregivers can bring Home Health Care and Private Duty right to your front door.
• LSS' Living Safe Technologies program offers a wide spectrum of sensors, services, and emerging technologies designed to help people live safely at home.
• Our outreach workers can help you assess your needs, find supportive services and programs in your area, arrange for volunteers to help you manage your finances, and even manage your care through our Geriatric Care Management program.
• LSS even offers faith-based end-of-life care through its Hospice Care program.

The Lutheran Senior Services Difference

As a Lutheran Senior Services (LSS) community, Meramec Bluffs is part of a 150-year tradition of compassionate service. At the heart of its philosophy of care is LSS’ Christian mission: Older Adults Living Life to the Fullest. Here, we honor and cherish people of all faiths, respecting their beliefs and helping them stay in touch with their personal faith practices.

We strive to serve the entire person—body, mind, and soul. To that end, we have full time chaplains on staff to host weekly worship services, teach Bible classes, and to provide spiritual support when needed.

Photo Gallery

Here’s just a small sample of what awaits you at Meramec Bluffs. Click on the pictures below to enlarge the images.

Our Staff

Greetings!

Thank you for your interest in Meramec Bluffs! At Meramec Bluffs we really do redefine “Retirement Living”!

From the minute you walk through our front door you will experience all the great things Meramec Bluffs has to offer. Whether it is our spacious patio homes and apartments, our variety of dining options, our indoor pool and exercise facilities, or the many fun activities offered on a daily basis – you will find something that makes Meramec Bluffs the perfect choice for you to call home! In addition to our many independent living options we also offer access to a continuum of care should you need Assisted Living or Skilled Nursing care. All of our services are provided in a manner that truly makes Meramec Bluffs home! The best part is the great people who live and work at Meramec Bluffs. Please stop by and visit our community to see for yourself how you can “redefine your retirement!”

Terry Etling
Executive Director

Members of our Team

Terry Etling
Meramec Bluffs Executive Director
ph 636.923.0009, x2303

The Executive Director of Meramec Bluffs, Terry Etling has worked at LSS for more than 15 years, starting as Community Administrator of the Breeze Park community in St. Charles. A Certified Aging Services Professional, she has worked in long-term care for over 25 years. Terry earned her master’s degree from Webster University in management, and she teaches part-time at the University of Missouri-St. Louis in the gerontology program.

Brad Queen
Administrator of Care Center
ph 636.923.0009, x2503

Brad Queen is the Care Ceter Adminstrator at Meramec Bluffs. Brad has been working as an Administrator in long term care for more than 15 years. He has a bachelor's degree in health care management with a minor in marketing from Maryville University. He also has an associates degree in business administration. Brad resides in the DeSoto area with his wife and two children.

Lauren Scherer
Senior Living Counselor
ph 636.923.2308

Lauren Scherer, Senior Living Counselor at Meramec Bluffs, holds a bachelor’s degree from Southeast Missouri State University. She has more than 16 years of senior care experience, including 14 years as an Activity Therapist. Lauren joined LSS in 2005, and currently works in the Marketing Department. She and her husband are actively involved in their church and live in Barnhart with their three dogs, Buddy, Sugar, and Joshua.

Mimi Linhares
Senior Living Counselor
ph 636.923.2308

Mimi Linhares has been a Senior Living Counselor with Meramec Bluffs for the past four years. Her prior sales and marketing experience were in the executive suite field, where she leased and managed commercial office space, and in the Communications Department at St. Luke's Hospital. Mimi has been married for 38 years to her husband, George, and they have five children and four grandchildren.

Pat Hawkinson
Dining Services Director
ph 636.923.0009, x2339

Patricia Hawkinson is currently the Dining Services Director at Meramec Bluffs. She began her career with LSS in 1991 at Laclede Groves, and she became involved with the preparation and planning of the Meramec Bluffs Campus and moved there in 2002. Patricia has an Associates Degree in Dietetic Technology and Clinical Nutrition. She is married to Michael, they live in Labadie Missouri and both have grown children and several beautiful grandchildren.

Deaconess Gayle Truesdell
Chaplain
ph 636.923.0009, x2427

Deaconess Gayle has been a chaplain at Meramec Bluffs for nearly three years. She graduated from the University of Missouri-Kansas City with degrees in psychology and sociology, and from Concordia Seminary with a master’s degree in Deaconess Studies in 2006. She joined the staff at Meramec Bluffs shortly thereafter. Deaconess Gayle is married and has seven children and five grandchildren.

Reverend Keith Weise
Chaplain
ph 636.923.2338

Rev. Keith Weise has been Chaplain at Meramec Bluffs since July 2008. He served for three years as a parish pastor in Altenburg, Missouri, before joining LSS. He completed LSS’ Clinical Pastoral Education program in 2004, and graduated from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis in 2005. Chaplain Weise lives in Florissant with his wife, Deanne, and their two daughters, Ali and Abigail.

Giving

Volunteering:
Giving A Gift of Time

At Meramec Bluffs, service-minded individuals find many opportunities to give of their time and talents. We match each volunteer with residents and their families depending upon skills, interests, and availability.

Volunteering can include any number of activities, including:

• Clerical work
• Assistance with resident activities
• Support for special events and fundraisers

If you are interested in volunteering at Meramec Bluffs, click here to email our volunteer coordinator.

Stewardship:
Giving a Gift of Treasure

Lutheran Senior Services is a not-for-profit organization that is built on financial stability and sound stewardship. We invite you to share our mission of serving seniors at Meramec Bluffs by making a gift that will advance our Christian mission of honoring and cherishing those we serve. Your gift will be used to directly help people.

Make your legacy part of the Lutheran Senior Services legacy. Select a specific area for your gift or make a gift to the area of greatest need. You may give now, or contact our gift consultant for free and confidential advice about how your gift can help others.

Click here to make a donation online using our secure online system powered by E-Service.

For More Information, Call...

Maggy Spencer
Director of Stewardship
ph 636.923.0009, x2315

Maggy Spencer has been with LSS since 2003. Hired as Director of Marketing, she moved into Stewardship after several years. Her background includes twelve years in funeral service, specializing in prearranged and estate funeral plans. Prior to this she worked in the hospitality area, representing Kraft Foodservice, and later Angelica Uniform. Maggy’s focus has always been on exemplary customer service. She has a master’s degree from Webster University and a bachelor’s degree from Washington University. She is a licensed funeral director as well as licensed in insurance for health and life. She serves as Director of Stewardship for the Meramec Bluffs and Breeze Park communities.

Giving Opportunities

Benevolent Care
Contributions to our Benevolent Care Fund endow future financial assistance for residents who have exhausted their financial resources and are no longer able to afford service at their care level.

Good Samaritan
Good Samaritan donors support residents who are currently in need of additional funding to maintain their present level of care.

Christ Care
Donations to the Christ Care Fund help provide relief for Lutheran Senior Services staff members who are experiencing emergency financial needs.

Christian Artwork
Donors to the Christian Artwork fund help to purchase inspirational decorations for LSS communities, helping create a feeling of home for our residents.

Clinical Pastoral Education
Funds donated to LSS' CPE program help support future ministry workers as they train for specialized ministries related to pastoral care, counseling, and/or older adult ministry.

Good Neighbor Program
Funds donated to the Good Neighbor Program help ensure that older adults who need access to low-cost, non-medical care in their own homes can be linked to independent caregivers.

Affordable Housing
Donations to LSS' Affordable Housing communities help provide housing and services for older adults with fewer economic resources.

Hospice Care
Giving to LSS Hospice Care helps patients and their families with items and services, that are beyond the scope of reimbursed care in order to increase their comfort and decrease their stress at the end of life.

Outreach Social Services
Donors to this LSS program ensure that economically-challenged older adults have access to social workers who can connect them to resources that maintain or improve their living situation through in-home assessment and/or on-going care management.

Pastoral Care
Supporting Pastoral Care aids the efforts of our specially trained chaplains. The Pastoral Care team provides comfort and spiritual guidance to our residents, families and staff.

Staff Scholarships
Donations to the staff scholarships assist with educational opportunities that keep staff throughout the Lutheran Senior Services organization current on the most advanced methods for caring for and supporting seniors.

Volunteer Money Management
Supporting Volunteer Money Management fosters independence for older adults by funding recruitment, training, and support for volunteers who assist seniors with day-to-day financial tasks such as balancing a checkbook or paying bills.

Area of Greatest Need
Your unrestricted gift will go directly to the area of greatest need.

Other Designated Areas

Moving In

Making the move to a senior living community is an investment in your own peace of mind. When you become a resident at Meramec Bluffs, you get priority access to higher levels of care should your needs change.

Pricing

When you move into an independent living apartment home or patio home, you pay a one-time refundable Entrance Fee. This amount helps keep your monthly service fees lower. When you move out, you receive up to 95% of your Entrance Fee, depending on the refund option you choose.

For specific pricing on any of our levels of care, contact our senior living counselors by calling 636.923.0008 or by email.

LSS Move-In Resources

Lutheran Senior Services offers a host of resources to make the move to Meramec Bluffs as smooth and carefree as possible. Through the LSS Move-In Resources Service, you can find help to organize, rightsize, move, and enjoy!

Our Move-In Resources Service can provide…

• Help with managing the home sale process.
• Assistance with transforming a new space so it becomes home.
• Advice on what to take, sell, or give away.
• Preapproved resources to help make the transition easy.

To learn more, contact our senior living counselors by calling 636.923.0008 or by email.