Hearthstone Village
ELEVATED SENIOR LIVING
NOW ACCEPTING INQUIRIES 6 PRIVATE ROOMS AVAILABLE TARGET OPENING Q1 2027
A HOLISTIC RESIDENTIAL CARE HOME
Where residents are celebrated, families find peace of mind and life is still fully lived.
Hearthstone Village is an intimate, conscious home for six elders — where quality of life is tended to in every moment of every day. The gardens flourish, the house feels like home, and every resident is personally known by name and life story.
This is elder care reimagined from the ground up — a home built on presence, dignity, and the belief that how we live our final chapter matters deeply. It is the first of its kind, and the beginning of something meant to grow.
Come discover what elevated senior living truly looks like.
PRIVATE ROOMS
6
5
ACRES
29%
OF COUNTY IS 65 +
Q1
2027 TARGET OPENING
"A world where every elder is held with dignity, kindness and love."
In most of the world's cultures, elders are the wisdom keepers — highly revered and consulted throughout their lives. Somewhere along the way, our society lost that perspective and we began surrendering our seniors to institutions that prioritize efficiency over dignity. Hearthstone Village exists to change that — one resident, one family, one life at a time.
This vision was born from personal experience. Choosing presence over distance, founder Merdeka Van Wissekerke lived with and cared for both of her parents during the last years of their lives. That experience made one thing undeniably clear: how we spend those final years is not a medical question. It is a human one - one that is not properly addressed in society today.
Senior care in this country has fallen short — not because of clinical failure, but because the majority of facilities do not have the comfort and feeling of being at home. Hearthstone Village is the answer to this gap.
OUR VISION
OUR CORE VALUES
How we love people well
These aren't values to hang on a wall. They are the way we show up -
Every day, every moment.
We honor each resident's sovereignty and right to make their own decisions.
Independence
Presence
Genuine presence creates connection, trust and comfort. It transforms a house into a home.
Community
Connection across generations — with family, friends, and neighbors — is central to Hearthstone’s culture
It’s at the heart of everything we do. People thrive when they are cared for with love and compassion.
Love
Wholeness
Understanding our true spiritual nature supports peace of mind and addresses our wholeness of being.
Dignity
From meals to mobility, every moment of care is made with respect and consideration.
"We provide a conscious, elevated living experience where every resident maintains independence, dignity and a high quality of life — supported by holistic care that honors the whole person, body, mind and spirit."
- MISSION STATEMENT, HEARTHSTONE VILLAGE
Full days. Good food.
Real joy.
LIFE AT HEARTHSTONE
We believe the best of life is always available to us. Bread baking in the morning. Hands in the garden after lunch. A musician in the living room in the evening. Grandchildren running through the yard. Movie nights. Field trips into Nevada City. These are not programs on a schedule — this is just life, being lived well, every day. This is the Hearthstone way.
WELLNESS AND ENRICHMENT
Massage therapy
Meditation classes
Music therapy
Gentle exercise
Gardening
Trips to town
Movie Nights
Nature walks
Intergenerational activities
Five acres of Sierra Nevada beauty. This is home.
THE HOME
Nestled in the pristine foothills of Nevada City — five acres with a greenhouse, established gardens, mature fruit trees and a grid tied solar system powering the home. Wheelchair-accessible pathways wind through raised garden beds and outdoor dining areas. Six private suites, each thoughtfully designed with wide doorways, walk-in showers and natural light. The difference is felt the moment you walk through the door. This is home.
PHASE 1
The Home
PHASE 2
The Garden
Phase 1 : Main House, community space, guest cabin
Phase 2 : Landscape, garden & playground
END OF LIFE
When the time deepens,
so do we.
Certified End of Life Doula
Along with a devoted and specialized team, Merdeka brings formal training and lived wisdom to the most tender of transitions — for residents and their families.
Hospice Partnership
We work closely with Hospice of the Foothills and a network of trained doulas so no one faces this passage without support.
Family at the Center
Open visits, honest conversations and steady presence. You are part of this — every step of the way.
There comes a time when care means something different. Quieter. Closer. Hearthstone is ready for that time — not with clinical protocol, but with genuine presence, trained hands and open hearts.
Founder Merdeka Van Wissekerke is a certified end of life doula, partnering with Hospice of the Foothills and a trusted community of end of life specialists. Your family will never feel lost, overwhelmed or alone. We walk this path with you.
Meet The Founder
Merdeka Van Wissekerke is the founder, administrator and driving force behind Hearthstone Village. She brings to this venture a rare combination of personal experience, professional training and a deeply held calling to transform how our society cares for its elders.
Her background as a transformational coach and spiritual mentor gives her an exceptional understanding of human nature - how people think, what they need to thrive and how to create environments that support genuine wellbeing. This foundation informs every dimension of Hearthstone's philosophy and culture.
Her personal experience is equally formative. After the loss of her father, Merdeka moved in with her mother — living the alternative to institutional care and witnessing firsthand what it means to age and die at home. That experience is the bedrock of this business.
Merdeka is a certified End of Life Doula, bringing formal expertise in end-of-life care and is the RCFE certified administrator at Hearthstone.
She also brings direct experience in commercial build-out and business development, having designed and completed Café Alegría and Yoga Studio in Costa Rica from concept to completion — managing the design, construction team, and launch of a functioning wellness business from the ground up. That project demonstrated the same skills required here: vision, project management, attention to detail, and the ability to create a space that people want to inhabit. She sold the business successfully, validating both the quality of what she built and her instinct for knowing when and how to exit.
Hearthstone Village is the next evolution of that same proven capability - applied with deeper experience, greater resources, and a mission that is deeply personal.