RETIREMENT
Corridor Business Journal Aug. 29 - Sept. 4, 2016 3
Washington invests in elder care More than $18 million in improvements underway
By Emery Styron news@corridorbusiness.com SmartAsset recently ranked Washington fifth among its Top 10 places in the state to retire — and that’s before Halcyon House and United Presbyterian Home, the town’s two large elder care communities, finish more than $18 million in improvements. The projects will expand wellness, fitness, therapy and memory care services while adding more than 70 private living units to the separately-operated campuses just blocks from the city’s town square. “This is a very challenging time for retirement homes,” said David Maupin, steering committee co-chair for United Presbyterian’s capital campaign. Baby boomers are retiring at the rate of 10,000 per day and have different experiences with aging than their parents. On the plus side, they are living and staying active longer. Unfortunately, cases of age-related dementia are skyrocketing. Statistics provided by Halcyon House show 13 percent, or 62,000, of Iowa’s senior citizens have Alzheimer’s disease, the most common type of age-related dementia. With 18.1 percent of Washington County’s 22,000 residents aged 65 and over, it’s expected that 20 percent of them – nearly 800 people – will suffer from Alzheimer’s. Halcyon and UP Home, both nonprofits with roots in faith communities, are upgrading to meet this growing need.
An artist’s rendering of United Presbyterian Home’s two-story addition, which will include 17 private rooms on the first floor and a wellness and therapy facility on the lower level. IMAGE / HORTY ELVING ASSOCIATES
Emphasis on ‘households’
Halcyon House began construction of its new $12 million building project in August 2015. Phase 1 consists of three new 15,000-square-foot houses, each with 18 private bedroom suites that include a full bathroom with European shower, large windows and a five-foot closet. A large kitchen, dining room, sunroom and living room with an open floor plan are at the center of the three “households,” as they are called. Each has its own covered entrance. The households will be named Rosewood, Sagewood and Wedgewood. Rosewood will be a memory support house for mid- to late-stage memory loss, complementing Halcyon’s Arbor House Assisted Living Memory Care for early to mid-stage memory loss. All three houses are connected via a hallway at their “back door.” Also included are a large beauty shop, offices, a commercial laundry, a doctor’s office capable of telemedicine appointments and a large room for restorative, skilled and outpatient therapy. “Everybody gets top treatment here,”
The site plan for Halcyon House shows three new, connected 15,000-square-foot households along S. Iowa Avenue. IMAGE / AG ARCHITECTURE
said Executive Director Chris Marshall, who is especially excited about the inpatient and outpatient occupational and physical therapy services that will be available. The therapy center will be the largest of any of the seven WesleyLife retirement homes in Iowa. Its services are available to residents at no extra charge. The room is equipped with electronic equipment purchased through a $168,000 grant from the Centers for Medicare Services.
A multi-sensory Snoezelen Room will be available to residents with memory loss. The room combines lighting effects, aromas, colors, textures and sounds to calm users and stimulate olfactory, auditory and gustatory systems. The Rosewood household also has specially-designed cues to help residents with wayfinding. A windowed space by the door to each room holds personal items to help residents recognize their space.
Walls where headboards are located will be a different color from other walls to help orient residents. When Phase 1 construction is complete, current health center residents will move to the new houses and the old health center will be demolished. This area will be seeded with grass and gardens. Egli Landscapes is finishing the grounds. WASHINGTON PAGE 11