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When Hernandez Health Care Systems acquired the former Homeplace Rest and Retirement quarters on Vickers Store Road, the potential for a unique senior care facility was evident, according to system president Laura Lee.
Legacy Meadows, which celebrated its ribbon cutting on April 4, is the product of that potential.
“Our vision is to make Legacy Meadows an upscale senior living experience, with a spa/resort feel,” said Lee, who along with CEO Luis Hernandez, has worked to develop the residence and surrounding 14 acres into a place where seniors will have opportunities for healthy activities, around the clock care and support, and safe and beautiful surroundings.
“We want to make this facility one that we would be proud to have our own parents in,” Lee said.
The facility features six living spaces, designed to give the feeling of “a personal retreat” to its residents.
“Each room is uniquely designed to evoke a sense of elegance and comfort and thoughtfully curated to create a hotel-like ambiance,” she noted.

Activities and amenities for residents will be designed to promote mental, physical and emotional well-being along with a calendar full of activities ranging from art classes and musical events to community gatherings and seasonal festivities.
“Our plans are to have activities every day,” Lee said, “and are open to residents and their families.”
Activities include guided nature walks, wellness workshops and gentle exercise sessions, and will utilize community resources as well as the facility’s own grounds.
“Our vineyard and orchard is available for residents to enjoy, and we hope to eventually have a garden that will provide us some farm-to-table food, added Lee.
Legacy Meadows is not the first venture for Hernandez and Lee, who in 2021 started Ryan’s Place, an agency headquartered in Mint Hill that works with intellectual and developmentally disabled populations throughout North Carolina.
Although the facility is not yet housing residents, applications are open and available at the Legacy Meadows website: https://hernandezhealthcaresystems.com.
“Although we are not yet set up for residents to move in, we do expect to begin this process around June or July of this year,” Lee said.

Toby Thorpe is a freelance writer for The Stanly News & Press.