Barbara Walker seemed to be having a hard time finding enough adjectives. “It’s wonderful…marvelous…gorgeous!” she said as she and her husband Don took in the sights at Concordia Village‘s new skilled nursing care center Monday, Nov. 7.
The Walkers were part of a group of Concordia Village residents who got a special “sneak peek” guided tour of the new $10 million expansion (photos of which you can view at the end of this story). Comprised of four self-contained skilled nursing households — care environments for small groups of just 16 residents modeled after family homes–the expansion is the first of its kind in the Springfield area and one of the first household-based communities in the state.
“We are blessed with the latest model of skilled nursing in the state of Illinois,” said Mary Riggs, Concordia Village’s executive director. “This is truly a person-centered building, built around the areas where life happens. Here, you’ll find big kitchens where residents can help cook if they choose to, living rooms built around fireplaces, and dining rooms where we can gather together.” (To learn more about the household model of care, click here.)
One of the four households has been designated for Concordia Village’s REACH Short Stay rehabilitation program. The benefit of conducting rehab in a household, community officials say, is that guests can practice activities of daily living as they work toward regaining their prior level of function in environments that closely approximate their own homes. Even the on-site therapy gym includes a small kitchen and restroom designed for this very purpose.
As for the Walkers, the tour of the expansion was a revelation. “This is why we moved here,” Barbara says. “The progression of care as we need it. Looking around here, I wouldn’t hesitate for a moment to come here for therapy, short term, or long term. I know the staff here will be just as caring as they are everywhere else at Concordia. I’d move in now if I could!”
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