Avila Home Care

03/14/2026

What a delightful Artist Talk by oil painter Bim Jones at Brightview Senior Living Severna Park! Brightview residents shared with us all about the joy they experience when making art- from sculpture to needlepoint, from painting to cooking, and crocheting to drawing, Brightview's residents are so talented! Artist Bim's faithful companion, her dog Indiana (get it? Indiana JONES😀!) brought a smile to everyone's face. We had a ball chatting with a 100 year old resident (who doesn't look a day over 83), and a former psychologist whose entire family were artists and musicians. Avila's Emalee Crawford, Maria Geronimo and Gretchen Maneval had such a lovely time with all the residents. Check out more of Bim's beautiful paintings at https://bim-jones.com/- enjoy!

03/04/2026

Happy 99th Birthday to Avila's dear client Doris E.! On March 1st she celebrated her birthday with family, as well as with Avila Caregiver Chiquita McIntosh. Doris's daughter said all the kids (and their parents) traveled 4-6 hours each way to be there to celebrate with Doris ❤️. Her daughter also shared, "We couldn't have gotten her to the celebration without Chiquita's help. She can get her to do more than I can for sure 🙂!" Doris has been a client of Avila's since 2022, and Chiquita has been her wonderful Avila Caregiver since the first day she started with us. HAPPY 99th BIRTHDAY Doris- we are inspired by you and your sweet family!

03/02/2026

What an absolutely delightful Avila Art Makers Talk by Modern Art Collector Carol Morgan at Brightview Senior Living Annapolis! The "Carol and Ken Collection" includes a painting by an artist whose work graces the walls of The Smithsonian, The Library of Congress, the United Nations, the White House, President Johnson's residence, and now Brightview Annapolis- artist R. A. Smith (https://kcmgroupnetwork.com/robert-alan-smith-1)! The Collection also includes paintings by Carol's mother Nina, a well known and prolific modern artist who was close friends and painted with Jackson Pollack. The Brightview Annapolis audience of residents included an Art Historian, and several artists, who kindly shared their experience and knowledge as well. Carol Morgan, a resident at Brightwood Club Association, has generously loaned Avila Art Makers pieces from her extraordinary Modern Art collection. Read about Carol's incredible life story here https://avilahomecare.com/avila-art-makers/- Carol's bio also shares the story of her late partner Ken, a renowned architect. We are grateful to Carol for bringing joy and education about modern art to Avila Art Maker's audiences at Brightview Annapolis and the other communities!

02/26/2026

What a fantastic presentation by the Baltimore County Department of Aging (BCDA) at the Baltimore County Provider Council's February meeting! More than 60 guests who represent companies and organizations who serve Seniors in Baltimore County learned a great deal about BCDA's wonderful programs supporting seniors, as well as their family and friend caregivers. Avila was delighted to sponsor this monthly meeting, which Brightview Senior Living Hunt Valley graciously hosted. Another shout out to Brightview Senior Living Towson for hosting Avila at their Winter Charcuterie event last week- SUCH FUN and yummy treats!

02/20/2026

Avila has so many wonderful people to celebrate on National Caregivers Day today! First, we are grateful to all of the incredible family and friends who care for their loved ones. Second, we share abundant thanks to Avila's 600 kind and dedicated Caregivers who go above and beyond everyday! Third, a heartfelt thanks to our fantastic friends at Mercy Ridge Retirement Community who invited Avila to join their Caregiver Fair yesterday! A special thanks to Rasheeda, Caley and Emma and their team for so warmly welcoming us. Avila's Director of Nursing Betsey Pierce, and Director of External Affairs Gretchen Maneval, loved getting to spend time with the Mercy Ridge residents, including the parents of a friend of Gretchen's from Towson High School! As Smalltimore goes, Avila's Founder Danny O'Brien was Gretchen and her friend's Young Life Leader in the late 1980's, AND Avila's CEO Will Cox used to work with the friend at Young Life too :-)! God Bless all of the caregivers out there- please know that Avila sees all of the love and devotion that you give to your loved ones every single day.

02/17/2026

Enjoy a sneak peek of Springtime at lovely Springwell Senior Living Community! Avila Art Makers' new exhibit of impressionist painter Mary Swann's ethereal landscapes brings sunshine and the sweet scent of spring to these cold February days. "I feel like I'm relaxing in a field of flowers looking up at the beautiful sky!" shared a Springwell resident as he watched the exhibit get hung. Stay tuned for a wonderful Artist Talk by Mary, who paints mostly in Baltimore County's horse country, as well as in Nova Scotia and Maine. Thank you to Avila's fantastic partners at Springwell Senior Living for hosting Avila Art Makers exhibits!

02/13/2026

Lots of love to all on this Valentine's/Presidents' Day Holiday!

02/12/2026

We are very proud to recognize Elizabeth James-Nicholls as Avila's Caregiver of the Month for January 2026! Elizabeth is an attentive, flexible, and kind Caregiver who truly has a heart for her clients. She’s incredibly reliable, and often steps in to help when there are last-minute Caregiving requests from Avila's clients. Elizabeth is consistently punctual and thoughtful, and her clients ask to have her back as often as possible. Thank you, Elizabeth, for your dedication, dependability, and the care you bring to every shift. We’re so grateful to have you on the Avila team. Congratulations and thank you for all that you do!

02/06/2026

Brightview Senior Living Mays Chapel Ridge's Winter White Soiree was absolutely wonderful! Avila's CEO Will Cox, and Director of External Affairs Gretchen Maneval, met so many lovely residents and their families- everyone was having a spectacular time! Avila's signature "Agua de Valencia" cocktails and mocktails were a big hit, and were in honor of our namesake, St. Teresa of Avila from Spain, who devoted her life to caring for others. We loved spending time with Noel from The Option Group, and enjoyed the beautiful melodies of French Guitarist Julien Xuereb. THANK YOU to Lauren Lucas, Executive Director and Jamie Pistorio, Vibrant Living Director, and their teams, at Brightview Mays Chapel Ridge for taking such incredible care of your residents and their families!

02/05/2026

Trivia question- What do oil paintings, cheese, grapes and cats have in common? Read to the end of this post to find out :-)! What a fun time we had putting up our new Avila Art Makers exhibit at Brightview Senior Living Severna Park yesterday! The residents and staff are always so warm and welcoming every time we visit them, with big smiles and filled with good cheer, singing the praises of the new exhibit by artist Bim Jones. One resident said "once a week I sit on this bench and just look at all the paintings- they inspire me and I love them so much- thank you for bringing us this incredible art!" Another resident's daughter said "This art brightens my mother's day- she's always talking about how happy the paintings make her feel." And yet another resident said "the colors lift me up every time I walk by- which is at least 10 times a day!" Trivia Answer- one of Brightview's residents walks her cat "Rusty" on a leash every day, and while Avila's Gretchen Maneval was hanging up the paintings, a painting of delicious cheeses and grapes was leaning against the wall. Rusty the cat thought the cheeses looked good enough to eat, so he came over to take a sniff, then walked away licking his lips- his 90 year old owner and I couldn't believe it and we both burst out laughing- simple pleasures :-)! Artist Bim Jones looks forward to giving an artist talk to Brightview Severna Park residents this spring, and the residents can't wait to meet her!

01/30/2026

Avila Home Care is delighted to announce that the Baltimore County Department of Aging's 2026 Community Resource Directory is now available online!https://bcg-prod.baltimorecountymd.gov/files/departments/aging/documents/bcda-2026-community-resource-guide.pdf This is an incredibly helpful guide to find local services for Seniors, including everything from medical providers to physical therapy, and home repairs to travel services. Avila is featured in several service categories in the Directory as well. If you'd like a hard copy of the Directory, please contact Gretchen at Avila 410-826-6100, or you can pick up a copy at one of BCDA’s 20 senior centers and Baltimore County Public Libraries. To have a copy mailed to you, simply call BCDA’s MAP Office at 410-887-2594. We are very fortunate to have such great resources listed all in one place- thank you Baltimore County Department of Aging for so wonderfully supporting Seniors in our community!

Great news!! BCDA's annual Community Resources directory is coming! The book is available fully accessible online at
https://bcg-prod.baltimorecountymd.gov/files/departments/aging/documents/bcda-2026-community-resource-guide.pdf?fbclid=IwVERDUAPqQMNleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEeB1oDJVUYAVRzK0DfFrZg4UFZCZ_IRXk-udzfAUQOwXV8vlW6YU-uQNiMNJE_aem_aBpFyZS1RgLXjDrIwjTNzw
and in the County's senior centers and public libraries for you to pick up a few copies.

If you have a large group or business that would benefit from a larger quantity, please call 410-887-2002 or email sponsorBCDA@baltimorecountymd.gov to schedule a pick up time at the Bykota Senior Center located at 611 Central Avenue, Towson, MD 21204. BCDA team members will meet you in front of the building at your scheduled time between 7:30a.m. and 3p.m. to load your vehicle.

01/26/2026

"I can't say enough about your people. The best!!"
"They were such wonderful Caregivers, and made things easier and fun for our dad. Shawnte in particular was a ray of light and a steady, jovial presence."
"We will recommend your agency to anyone and everyone."

Avila's office team has been hard at work over the last few days making sure all of Avila's clients had the care scheduled that they needed during this Winter Storm of 2026. The beautiful quotes above from Avila's clients and their families inspired us all (as well as some delicious pizza :-)). We are grateful to Avila's intrepid Caregivers for their service- come rain or shine, or SNOW!