When Robert Morrison lost his wife Rosalie at age 75, he felt that his world and his life had ended. He withdrew to the small apartment they had shared in the last years of their marriage of more than 50 years to grieve. It was only when his niece talked him into visiting an independent living facility that he became interested in trying a new lifestyle. Isolated for years with his ill wife, he had lost contact with friends and family. The village atmosphere offered a safe, active living style in which he could reconnect with people, make new friends, visit with old ones and begin a new life. “I am now more active and involved than I have been in years,” he says.
Morrison is one of many older adults who are choosing to live in transitional communities as they age and they are doing so at younger stages, some in their 50’s. Fun and enjoyment of life does not end when entering a senior care program; in fact, some clients say they are more satisfied and active than ever. The philosophy of these facilities has drastically changed and most have programs that are geared to the preferences of their clients for activities such as games, music, sports and entertainment. Various stages of services are available from independent or assisted living to nursing home care, and activities are geared toward maximizing fitness and wellness for clients at all levels. Administrators and staff work hard to keep clients active mentally, physically and spiritually.
Alexian Brothers is one example with twelve retirement ministries located throughout Hamilton County where older adults can seek any level of care they need. Five Senior Neighbors Center programs are located throughout Chattanooga and North Georgia offering schedules that include social, cultural, vocational, recreational, educational, and volunteer opportunities designed especially for their clients. “Last year the RSVP program contributed volunteer services valued at more than one million dollars throughout Hamilton County,” says Bill Tobin, Marketing and Public Relations Manager.” Activities such as brain games, intended to stimulate and maintain mental acuity, performing arts and Senior Olympics are offered. Senior Olympics include a variety of sports such as golf, basketball, racquetball, swimming, horseshoes, shuffleboard and track events. “Here at Alexian Village, our life care retirement campus, we may be found doing anything from going to Atlanta Braves baseball games to movies, ballroom dancing or social hours,” Tobin explains. “A group is putting together a Model Train Club and building a model here in a dedicated room. We have a book group that meets regularly. We have many fitness and wellness programs here on campus and out in the community. We have a physician on staff and a wellness person who coordinates activities for both clients and staff,” he says. The live at home program gives members the ability to receive assistance at home through Alexian staff. It partners with Senior Neighbors to provide social and cultural activities for those persons staying at home. Pace Services downtown serves frail, underprivileged clients and has a holistic approach to meeting their needs.
“We like to act as a resource for our clients to enable them to do what they want to do,” Tobin notes. “People today want to retire on their own terms. The values of the Alexian Brothers include compassion, dignity of the person, care of the poor, holism and partnership. Holism guides our approach to activities that are stimulating intellectually, physically and spiritually.”
ElmCroft at Hamilton Place serves 47 clients including twelve beds in the Alzheimer’s memory care unit. “I believe that different senior facilities serve different communities like different churches minister to different needs. You want a good match,” says Debbie Radford, Community Relations Manager. “Elmcroft is a small community like a family. Our activities are driven by the interests of our residents. We do an in-depth profile for each person when they come into our facility,” she notes. “We have such a diverse community and each person brings so many gifts and talents, so we tailor activities around our current guests.” The goal at Elmcroft is to minister to each resident mentally, spiritually and emotionally. “We have a small Jewish population and we make sure the Rabbi celebrates their holidays with them and embraces every aspect of their culture. Activities are planned that gently keep residents physically fit each morning. Nutrition and hydration are emphasized and spring water is available for all residents to access anytime. Mental stimulation is important and they enjoy such activities as playing trivial pursuit. We have a big tournament every year where we invite other assisted living facilities and senior groups in to participate. Jed Mescon emcees that and judges come in from outside. Participants win prizes and have a great time. They are never forced to come to an activity, but we encourage them so they will not feel isolated. Sometimes you can just see them become vibrant and alive. We have a men’s club called ROMEO which is for Retired Old Men Eating Out. They have all been in the military, so they like doing things like taking a tour to Chickamauga Battlefield, looking at weaponry and things like that. They may go to Raccoon Mountain, ball games or museums or have cookouts at Harrison Bay State Park. They plan something new and interesting every month,” Radford explains.
“There is a large courtyard with a paved walking track and we encourage our residents to use that. A library in house is used to encourage reading with a magnifier to assist anyone who needs it. We have a lot of musical activities and people come in from the community to play for residents. They go to movies, ball games and out to eat. They really get around town.”
Teresa Bryant, Elmcroft Director, says that residents should know that everything is planned to revolve around them. “They have hired us to come into their home every day to take care of their needs, so we want to do what they want to do. All of our staff are servant leaders. We find out about every new resident and learn a lot from them.”
St. Barnabas is a nursing home facility which has recently relocated to the Siskin Hospital Campus. “Staff commissioned to create meaningful activities for you is not someone you have in your own home,” says Eric Boston, President and CEO for St. Barnabas. “As a part of our care process, we have staff who assess preferences and interests of our clients, then tailor activities around individuals as well as groups with similar interests. Activities exceed weekly Bingo games, though they seem to never die in popularity. Never mess with Bingo in a senior facility. There is peer-to-peer interaction among residents that is very important and part of community life in a nursing home, then there is outside-in. We often bring people in to provide quality entertainment in areas that are of interest to our residents. Sometimes residents do programs themselves, for instance, they talk about places they have been, do storytelling or even bring in animals. The Chattanooga Nature Center and Humane Society has brought animals to St. Barnabas for years. Our residents may be found frequenting Lookouts baseball games, visiting the Aquarium or hopping on a Chattanooga Ducks boat for a downtown tour. Senior Olympics is an example where we work with similar facilities getting residents together to encourage each other. Though we are one of the smallest facilities with capacity for 87 people, we recently had a delegation of over 60 people at that event. Our residents designed banners, put together balloon arches and recreated characters from Americana. The residents direct all of that through their residence council. If we have someone come in who has enjoyed woodworking all his life, we recreate a situation so that he will be able to maintain that and stay in touch with himself,” Boston remarks.
Medicare has implemented a Culture Change Model which includes mandates to change protocols and rules for nursing homes. “Whether residents are here for three years or thirty days, their experience should be as fulfilling as possible,” Boston explains. “The model looks at how nursing homes provide a less regimented approach to care, where dining times are elongated so that residents can eat whenever they want as we do at home. In our new building we tried to create space for flexibility for daily lifestyles. When you start your day, that is an activity. We don’t want to get the resident out of bed at 9:00 AM because that is where he fits in the schedule. No one wants to be forced to get up when they are retired. Another activity that is often overlooked is having visitors in the facility. It the resident is in a semi-private room that is home to another resident, it is like having guests in someone else’s home. We have put family rooms in our new facility that can be used for private time or visiting with someone from outside,” he says.
People seeking care programs may be in for a big surprise at the variety of entertainment and activities available in local facilities. The examples above are only a sample of the many facilities in Chattanooga and Hamilton County that provide excellent Senior Care and offer and abundance of activities that restore or build joy in the hearts of their residents.