Senior Living Communities Provide Welcoming Homes for Young at Heart
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In San Angelo, a growing number of nursing homes, rehab facilities and senior living communities provide a welcome place to call home for the city’s young at heart.
At Christian Village, Rio Concho Retirement Community, Rio Concho West, Myrtlewood Estates, Royal Estates, The St. Angelus and Village East, seniors enjoy independent living designed with their activities and interests in mind. And for those who need a little more attention, families turn to Legend Oaks Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center, Riverside Healthcare and TRISUN Care Center-Regency House.
Seniors also can find their ideal level of care in San Angelo’s Baptist Retirement Community. The 75-acre community includes a long-term nursing facility, skilled nursing unit, home health services, rehabilitation services and a residential retirement community that’s home to more than 400 seniors.
However, it’s Baptist’s recent $4 million commitment to Alzheimer’s and dementia patients that has earned the community some much deserved attention. The Green Houses at Sagecrest, built as expansion facilities for Baptist’s 52-bed Sagecrest Alzheimer’s Care Center, are part of a national movement to revolutionize elder care in America, and are the first of their kind in Texas for dementia care.
The 10-bedroom, 10-bathroom houses, which resemble single-family homes inside and out, were designed specifically to break away from the traditional, hospital-style nursing home.
“I have always thought that there was a better way to take care of elders than the typical institutional nursing home, and when I walked into Green Houses in Tupelo, Miss., over four years ago, I thought, ‘this is it,’” says Pat Crump, president and CEO of Baptist Memorial’s Ministries. “A Green House is a place where I would feel good about having a family member and a place where I would be able to live out my years with dignity and as much autonomy as possible.”
The two Green Houses opened in March 2008 and will be used for training and education by bringing in providers, professionals and students locally and from across the state. Each of the homes’ 10 residents are cared for by self-managed teams of workers with certified nurses’ aide training, chef’s training, housekeeping training and management training.
“Traditionally, certified nursing assistants do the majority of the work but tend to be the least valued and respected,” Crump says. “The Green House model uses a universal worker to do the work the nursing assistant typically does and a whole lot more. We are changing what it means to work in long-term care.”
Crump says the homes are a win-win for both employees and residents.
“To me, the Green Houses just feel right,” he says. “It is my hope and prayer that they will feel right to the elders, family members and employees we serve for many years to come.”
Story by Melanie Hill
Photo by Wes Aldridge
