The Chartiers Valley Source

When trying to find the right personal care home in which to place a loved one, families are often dismayed to learn that many facilities have a cold, clinical atmosphere that makes them feel more like a hospital than a home.

Thats something Kelly Zerrlaut and her husband Brett Ebbitt took into account last fall when they opened Serenity Pines Personal Care Home, a Bridgeville facility specializing in housing individuals with mental disabilities. Both have years of experience working with the special needs community Kelly who has a degree is psychology spent 15 years working in various social services before opening the facility, and Brett is a police officer of 10 years who has strong background of working with the mentally ill. In their work, Kelly and Brett saw that many personal care homes just werent very homey.

What we wanted to offer, Kelly says, is a family environment at reasonable rates. A lot of personal care homes tend to look like hospitals or hotels, a place that you visit for a short time, not somewhere you live long-term.

Years ago, Serenity Pines actually was a home, a sizable Bridgeville mansion situated on Jones Street, just off of Prestley Road (about a mile from Interstate 79). Over time, a neighborhood formed around the building, and not far away shopping centers and highways were built, but the house and the two acres of grassy hilltop it sits upon remain an oasis, a reservoir of tranquility amid the bustling suburban backdrop.

True to its roots, the inside of Serenity Pines feels like it could be the living space of any spacious family home, with its hardwood floors, large scenic windows, and cozy ambiance.

The bedrooms serve as living quarters for the residents (both single and doubleoccupancy rooms are available). The layout and dcor create a genuinely family feel, as residents spend their days essentially the same way a group of relatives living in a huge house would.

The facility is staffed around-the-clock by an always-awake team of employees, and most days, either Kelly or Brett are personally on-site (often both of them).

Thats the benefit of being small, she says. We get to know the residents well, and they get a lot of one-on-one time. Additionally, every staff member is certified in CPR, first aid, food safety, diabetes care and insulin treatment. Furthermore Serenity Pines only hires staffers with extensive experience working with the mentally-disabled community, which is important when it comes to monitoring and preventing behavioral and safety issues.

Serenity Pines Personal Care Home, located at 223 Jones Drive in Bridgeville, is currently accepting new residents. Payment options include Social Security, disability benefits, the Personal Care Home Supplement, and veterans benefits. For more information, visit www.serenitycare.org or call 412-319-7284.