Published: May 20, 2008 05:22 pm            

Villas for elders part of Guerin Woods expansion

GEORGETOWN — A new concept in assisted living and comprehensive nursing care will come to fruition next month in Georgetown.

The Villas of Guerin Woods — two state-licensed housing communities under the direction of Guerin Inc. — are patterned after the small-house idea of care, and are the first of their kind in Indiana.

Sister Barbara Zeller, president of the Guerin Woods Board of Directors, said The Villas will be more than just a dwelling.

“It’s not home-like, it’s home,” Zeller said. “We are forming an intentional community with a very definite philosophy, that the elders that live here are going to be the driving force.”

Guerin Inc. will host a Welcome Home! celebration from noon to 1:30 p.m. Thursday at the villas. The event will include remarks from Sherry Seiwart, executive director of Indiana Housing, and music by Georgetown resident Gina Emerson. There will be a light lunch served followed by a tour of the villas.

Each 7,100-square-foot villa will house 10 elders, providing the residents with a private bedroom and a full bathroom. The buildings sit on a 15-acre development next to the Providence House for Children campus.

Inside the foyer is a fireplace with an area for sitting accompanying a large living room. There is an open kitchen and dining area inside The Villas, where elders can fix their own food or ask help from one of the compatissants — the French word for tender-hearted that serves as the title for the villa nurses at The Villas.

The staff philosophy is based on a universal-worker concept.

“They can do whatever it takes to run the place,” Zeller said.

She said it is important for the elders to feel like they have a say in their daily lives. The compatissants are there to help if needed, but also will encourage residents to provide input and direction.

“It’s all about dignity and choice,” Zeller said. “If (the elders) have any capabilities, they’re going to be maximized here.”

Those skills could include watering flowers in the sensory garden that sits adjacent to an enclosed patio, or making mashed potatoes and fried chicken in the kitchen.

Other features of The Villas include a spa equipped with a therapeutic mat and collapsible parallel bars, as well as an office that Zeller said replaces the traditional nurses station.

The architecture is another reason The Villas stand out, Zeller said. Corridors are designed so elders walk no more than 45 feet to get to the heart of the home.

“Architecturally it’s beautiful, but even more than that it’s very functional — it’s very elder-friendly, so to speak,” Zeller said.

She said The Villas provide an alternative to institutional care with competitive fees. Private pay, Medicaid and Medicare will be accepted, and Zeller said applications are still being taken for residency.

Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority, Caesars Foundation of Floyd County and the Paul W. Ogle Foundation Inc., provided most of the funding for the

$2 million project that began in 2004. Private donations were also accepted for the cause.

Kent Lanum, executive director of the Ogle Foundation, said the organization was happy to donate nearly $300,000 for The Villas.

“We thought it was a great living facility for senior citizens in this area and region, especially with the way they deal with senior citizens in a home-like setting,” Lanum said.

Guerin Inc. — a nonprofit corporation established in 1999 — will collaborate with Providence Self Sufficiency Ministries Inc., to provide services at Guerin Woods.

The villas are located at 1001 and 1002 Sister Barbara Way — an appropriate name, though Zeller said it came as a surprise. She was on the way home from completing paperwork on the villas when one of the board members alerted her to their intentions to name the street after Zeller.

“It’s a wonderful compliment,” she said.



SO YOU KNOW

• Since beginning in 1999, Guerin Inc., has built two group homes for foster children, six three-bedroom apartments for participants in the Family Reunification and Preservation Program, a training center/office building and an administrative residence on the Providence House campus.



TO APPLY FOR RESIDENCY

• Interested people should call Sister Barbara Zeller at 812-951-1878, or e-mail at sbarannz@insightbb.com.

        

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