We are excited to announce the groundbreaking of our newest neighborhood, Del Webb Wildlight! Land development is now underway as Del Webb prepares to bring their signature combination of quality homes, inspired designs and resort-style amenities to Wildlight for residents 55 and older.
The gated neighborhood will feature 660 homes with a variety of Lowcountry floorplans and welcoming front porches, plus exclusive clubhouse amenities including a pool, fitness center, sports courts and much more.
“Wildlight is the perfect place for Del Webb because both brands focus on a healthy and active lifestyle,” said Justin Dudley, Vice President of Land Acquisition at Pultegroup, the builder behind Del Webb Active Adult Communities.
Interested in starting your next chapter at Del Webb Wildlight? Watch the video above to learn more!
The new YMCA at Wildlight has opened its doors and we’re so excited to give you a look at some of the amazing programs and perks available for Wildlight residents!
“We’re ready to welcome the community into our facility, support them as they reach their health and wellness goals, connect them to other resources and invite them to join our cause,” said Melissa, Operations Director of YMCA at Wildlight.
One of the biggest benefits of the new YMCA is its convenient, walkable location.
“You can literally live and walk right across the street from the Y and then go out on our trails. Everything is just integrated,” said Wes Hinton, Wildlight’s VP of Community Development. “UF Health has been a great partner in bringing the Y here. It’s just a huge benefit to our residents.”
Check out the video to learn more!
This is the third post in our UF Health Wildlight series. Throughout this series, we’ll be interviewing various UF Health professionals about services and wellness practices that can help our residents live their healthiest lives.
As we’ve learned from our previous two UF Health Series posts, The UF Health Rehabilitation – Wildlight team offers a unique tri-disciplinary approach to pediatric therapy services.
We’ve seen how Physical Therapist Jessie Walczak and her team work with children on movement. We talked with Speech-Language Pathologist Ashley Parker about how she and her team help children with speech delays learn to communicate. Today, we’re pleased to introduce Shannon Taylor, an occupational therapist who helps children improve fine motor skills, sensory processing and daily life skills.
Could Occupational Therapy Help Your Child?
“Pure magic” is a term Shannon Taylor, an occupational therapist at UF Health Rehabilitation – Wildlight, has heard parents use to describe the gains their children make from therapy. Many children enter therapy unable to perform basic daily living tasks, such as getting dressed, self-feeding or brushing their teeth, and go on to master those skills and many more that facilitate independence of daily activities at home and school.
“Being an occupational therapist is a very rewarding career. I get to see children on a day-to-day basis make progress, whether big or small,” Taylor said.
Behaviors related to sensory processing difficulties, self-care delays and fine motor deficits can leave parents with many questions and concerns. An occupational therapy evaluation may be warranted if a parent is noticing that their child is having difficulty with any of the following areas below. It is important to talk to your pediatrician if you have questions about your child’s development.
- Daily living skills
o Difficulty dressing, fastening buttons and tying shoelaces
o Using silverware or straws at an age appropriate level
o Using zippers
- Reaching developmental milestones
o Holding a bottle and moving toys from one hand to another by 5 months old
o Banging two objects together and holding a spoon by 9 months old
o Pointing with an index finger by 9 to 12 months old
o Using thumb and finger to pick up objects by 12 months old
- Fine motor delays
o Coloring and tracing
o Difficulty holding a pencil
o Holding and manipulating toys
o Letter and number formation
o Poor handwriting
o Using scissors
- Sensory processing difficulties
o Constantly moving, jumping and crashing
o Demonstrating sensitivities to touch, taste, sound or movement
o Difficulty coping with change
o Easily distracted
Pediatric occupational therapy can provide personalized services to children from birth to teenage years. They use age-appropriate, purposeful activities to minimize the effects of diseases, injuries, congenital defects, disabilities or developmental delays so the child can live and learn to his or her full potential.
In addition to occupational therapy, UF Health Rehabilitation – Wildlight offers physical and speech therapy. Many kids who have significant developmental delays benefit from two and sometimes all three disciplines. The specialists work together to give patients and families a customized treatment plan to help meet their needs.
To learn more about pediatric physical therapy services at UF Health Rehabilitation–Wildlight, please visit their website at wildlight.ufhealthjax.org or call 904.427.8300.
This is the second post in our UF Health Wildlight series. Throughout this series, we’ll be interviewing various UF Health professionals about services and wellness practices that can help our residents live their healthiest lives.
In our last UF Health Series blog post, we learned from Pediatric Physical Therapist Jessie Walczak about how the UF Health Rehabilitation – Wildlight team helps children move more confidently. Today, we’re introducing Ashley Parker, a pediatric speech-language pathologist whose focus is empowering children with speech delays to unlock their inner voice.
Does Your Child Need Speech Therapy?
Every night for the last three years, a local mom put her son to bed and said, “Love you, love you, love you.” He was old enough to speak, but wasn’t able to respond. After a month of speech therapy, he looked at his mom and said, “Love you, love you, love you” right back.
For Ashley Parker, a pediatric speech-language pathologist at UF Health Rehabilitation – Wildlight, stories such as these remind her that her career is more than science — it’s work that comes from the heart.
“When I hear things like that, not just as a therapist, but also as a mom, it keeps me going,” Parker said.
Parker works with children with speech difficulties. They might have trouble speaking, deciding which words to say or understanding the meaning of some words. Parker also helps children with feeding, swallowing and behavior difficulties.
One of the early signs of a speech disorder in children is not babbling by the time they are 6 months old. Examples of babble sounds are “bababa,” “ahhh,” “uhhh” and “ehhh.” By the time a baby is 12 to 13 months old, they should have at least one word they use consistently for an item, even if it isn’t the correct word, such as saying “baba” for bottle. They should also be able to understand a one-step direction and point to things they see or want.
By 18 months, toddlers should have a minimum of 10 words in their vocabulary, with the average child having around 50 words. Parents should look for their child to be learning new words consistently, both receptively and expressively, and talk to their pediatrician for a speech therapy referral if they have concerns about their child’s development.
Children 3 years and older should have appropriate speech articulation, or how well their words are understood. Some speech sound errors are age appropriate at age 3, like saying /w/ for /r/ as in “wace” for “race.” Consulting with a speech-language pathologist can give a parent a good idea of whether or not their child’s speech clarity is appropriate for their age.
In addition to speech therapy, UF Health Rehabilitation – Wildlight offers occupational and physical therapy. Many kids who have significant developmental delays benefit from two, and sometimes all three, disciplines. The specialists work together to give patients and families a customized treatment plan to help meet their needs.
To learn more about pediatric physical therapy services at UF Health Rehabilitation–Wildlight, please visit their website at wildlight.ufhealthjax.org or call 904.427.8300.
Welcome to the first post in our UF Health Wildlight series! Throughout this series, we’ll be interviewing various UF Health professionals about services and wellness practices that can help our residents live their healthiest lives.
Today, we’re excited to introduce Jessie Walczak, a pediatric physical therapist at UF Health Rehabilitation–Wildlight. See how she and her team are working alongside Wildlight families to help their children move around with more confidence.
Could Your Child Benefit from Physical Therapy?
Children need to feel comfortable and confident moving about their homes, at school and in social settings. Physical therapy techniques help children with gross motor skill challenges gain more independence through movement.
Pediatric physical therapy can help families and children with a variety of concerns, such as delays in development, muscle weakness, poor coordination or balance, genetic disorders and other conditions such as cerebral palsy. In physical therapy, children are engaged with fun and age-appropriate activities to keep them motivated, while assisting them with reaching their goals.
Signs that indicate physical therapy could be beneficial:
- Your child has a strong preference for turning their head to one side or using only one side of their body
- Your child is not meeting the expected developmental milestones during their first year, including:
-
- 2 months: holding their head up during tummy time
- 4 months: holding their head up in supported sitting, bringing hands to mouth and pushing up on elbows when in tummy time
- 6 months: rolling from tummy to back and back to tummy consistently, sitting up without support and reaching for toys/items and bringing them to their mouth
- 8–10 months: crawling on all fours—any variation in crawling or pulling up to stand at support surfaces are reasons to seek physical therapy intervention
- 12–15 months: taking independent steps
- Your child is walking on their tip toes for the majority of the time after 2 years old
- Your child is tripping and falling more than their peers when walking or is having trouble keeping up with other children their age
- Your child has difficulty with using opposite sides of their body at the same time
To learn more about pediatric physical therapy services at UF Health Rehabilitation–Wildlight, please visit their website at wildlight.ufhealthjax.org or call 904.427.8300.
Jonathan and Crystal Boswell knew just where to find the perfect neighborhood to raise their two daughters and enjoy being part of a close-knit community: Floco!
“Floco, to us, means Lowcountry living. More front porch living, community involvement, and the style of homes also represents that same feel,” Jonathan said.
Between the convenient commute to work, the short walk to Wildlight Elementary School and the miles of nature trails, the couple felt that Wildlight’s location couldn’t be beat. But there’s one thing that really stood out to them the most.
“Front porch living is one of the biggest differences within this community that we’ve seen,” Crystal said.
“Growing up, I had grandparents that always had [a front porch] but we never did,” Jonathan said. “Now on Sunday mornings, we’ll get our cup of coffee, go out on the front porch and enjoy the sunrise or in the evenings we’ll enjoy the sunset.”
Coming from a neighborhood where Jonathan described the community space as “non-existent,” the Boswells couldn’t be happier with their decision to move to Wildlight.
“The community feel is just bar none better than any place we’ve been before.’