To the Moon and Back How a Cedarhurst
Dream Took Flight
When Roy “Sid” Trexler walked into the Life Enrichment office at Cedarhurst of Waterloo, he carried a dream with him. “My name is Sid,” he said, “and I was born in 1925. My dream is to go to the moon.” At Cedarhurst Senior Living, Living TRUE is about personalizing life for residents in meaningful, magical ways—and Sid’s request was the perfect opportunity to bring that philosophy to life. For Life Enrichment Director Meredith Hooten, the moment was unforgettable. “My heart melted,” she recalled. “I didn’t know how I was going to make it happen, but I knew I had to find a way.” What followed was nothing short of magic. Meredith set out to create an immersive lunar adventure, transforming Cedarhurst’s activity room into a space capsule. Blackout curtains covered the windows. A projector cast glowing stars and a swirling moon across the ceiling. A YouTube documentary on Neil Armstrong’s historic landing added atmosphere. And when a team member brought in a virtual reality headset, Sid was suddenly standing on the moon’s rocky surface, turning his head side to side in awe.
“It was amazing to watch,” Meredith said. “Everyone kept asking him, ‘Can you see the moon?’ and he’d answer, ‘I’m not sure.’ It was the sweetest thing.” No detail was overlooked. To fuel the journey, Meredith served themed treats: Sun Chips, Sunkist floats, Milky Ways, and Snickers. Sid’s son Clyde joined in the fun, laughing alongside his father as he tried the VR headset. “He kept asking me what I was seeing,” Sid said with a grin. “I wasn’t sure, but it was weird and interesting. To read about the moon and then see it like that—it was different!” For Meredith, the project was more than a themed event. It reflected what Living TRUE means to her role. “Big or small, I want to make our residents’ dreams come true,” she said. “These residents are family. They deserve the best, and I treat them like I’d want my own grandparents to be treated. If I can bring them happiness, that’s my purpose.”
CEDARHURST SENIOR LIVING | FALL FLOURISH 2025 14
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs