Posted 12:24 am Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Dedication Ceremony Held For New Senior Community
By CASEY MURPHY
Staff Writer
Business and family are the reasons Touchstone Communities plans to bring The Heights of Tyler -- the first senior long-term care neighborhood of its kind here.
Staff Writer
Business and family are the reasons Touchstone Communities plans to bring The Heights of Tyler -- the first senior long-term care neighborhood of its kind here.
Representatives of Touchstone Communities, a San Antonio-based provider of rehabilitation therapies, long-term care and assisted-living facilities, held a dedication ceremony and groundbreaking for a new senior community expected to open in 2011.
Sandy Klein, vice president of management services for Touchstone, said the demographics of Tyler are made up of evenly dispersed age groups. Although only 11 percent of Tyler's population are senior citizens, that demographic is expected to grow as the Baby Boomers age, she said.
Tyler was selected as home of the new neighborhood community for seniors, the first of its kind in Tyler and only the third in Texas, for two reasons, Ms. Klein said. Stan Studer Jr., chief executive officer of Touchstone, has family here and the company recognizes the huge growth opportunities in Tyler, she said.
Ms. Klein said their mission is to be a dynamic healthcare provider and a "skilled premier nursing home" that will add to the primary health care already offered in Tyler. She said they plan to "deliver compassionate care through innovative approaches."
The Heights of Tyler won't be a traditional nursing home, she said.
The community is modeled after the nationally-acclaimed neighborhood concept, which has changed the perception of assisted living for residents and staff from an institution to a home.
It will be comprised of four neighborhoods containing clusters of private and semi-private rooms for 120 residents with 24-hour care provided by a staff of professionals in a home atmosphere. The rooms will be connected by landscaped public spaces and walkways.
Ms. Klein said each of the neighborhoods will have its own dining and living rooms. Team members will staff each neighborhood, allowing team members and residents to really get to know each other. It will also be staffed with physical, speech and occupational therapists.
At The Heights of Tyler, they want to "build family relations, one generation at a time," she said. Their next-door neighbors, filled with a "new generation" of youngsters will help them do that. Touchstone plans to build a sidewalk connecting its facility with the Oak Hill Montessori School so students and residents can interact, she said. Children from the school held tiny shovels Tuesday, officially breaking ground with the help of Touchstone representatives at the ceremony.
Ms. Klein said they will create a community advisory council, which people will be asked to serve on to let Touchstone know what the community needs and wants from them.
Studer said part of their goal will be to ensure they offer spiritual support in time of need. Chaplains will offer free marriage, counseling and funeral services to their team leaders.
Ms. Klein said Smithers Construction has begun work at the site, at 2650 Elkton Trail.
VETERANS community
Britta Strickland, of Touchstone, announced another project the company has planned for Tyler -- a community for veterans made up of 10 small homes built with the Green House concept -- it will be the first such veterans housing in the nation.
Britta Strickland, of Touchstone, announced another project the company has planned for Tyler -- a community for veterans made up of 10 small homes built with the Green House concept -- it will be the first such veterans housing in the nation.
Ms. Strickland, the senior vice president of small house development and operations, said they learned about a year ago that they would have the opportunity to work with the Texas Veterans Land Board in building state veterans housing in Tyler. Instead of building another traditional nursing home for veterans, it will be the first to be made up of small homes built with the Green House concept.
Ms. Strickland said the Green House concept is like taking a nursing home and chopping it up into homes with private rooms and bathrooms. Every two homes will be connected by a carport and will be cared for by one nurse. Nursing assistants will not only provide medical care, but food preparation and home maintenance as well, she said.
Tyler was chosen for the veterans housing because the city will draw veterans from medical veteran facilities in Houston and Dallas, Ms. Strickland said. A veteran housing center in Bonham, the closest one to Tyler, is always full, she added.
She said there are a lot of veterans in East Texas and they have traditionally been underserved as far as state veteran's housing. Years ago, the University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler informed land board it had land and would like a veteran's home to be built there.
A great benefit of building it in Tyler is its good medical community providing quality care for acute care illnesses, she said.
Each veteran's housing resident will have their own private home with lift systems in the ceiling and their meals will be cooked for them based on what they want on the menu, Ms. Strickland said. The service will be "very individual," she said.
"It gives a lot of freedom and a lot of choice" to the veterans and their families. Ms. Strickland said they want veterans to have the best care they can provide.
Ms. Strickland lived in Tyler about 24 years ago and said she feels like she's coming home. She will be staying in Tyler often to work with the veteran's home community.
U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs will provide funding for the housing and a groundbreaking ceremony will be held sometime in May, Ms. Strickland said.
Touchstone Communities provides healthcare services, including skilled nursing, rehabilitation, Alzheimer's care and assisted living for senior citizens. With 1,200 team members, Touchstone independently owns nine communities in Texas and two in Arizona, as well as manages Texas veteran's homes. For more information, visit: www.touchstone-communities.com.
