BROWNSTOWN
A Christian senior living community is expanding its Brownstown facility to better serve residents with dementia and memory loss and those needing therapy and rehabilitation.
Hoosier Christian Village, one of 13 Christian Homes Inc. communities in the Midwest, is investing in its campus at 621 S. Sugar St. by adding a new therapy gym, rehab-to-home private suites and a memory care unit.
The additions are expected to be ready for use this summer and add 10,500 square feet to the existing 41,959-square-foot facility.
Hoosier Christian Village has been part of the Brownstown community for more than 40 years and offers aging residents options, including independent and assisted living and certified 24/7 nursing services for rehabilitation, respite and hospice care.
The campus, which is on the town’s south side, is made up of 13 garden homes and a 97-bed nursing and rehabilitation center.
Through the expansions, residents will receive specialized services in new designated areas and increased social and physical benefits, said administrator Krista Garrison.
Capacity, or the number of residents and patients being served, won’t necessarily increase, but the improved environment will make what could be a difficult time for residents and their families easier.
“We develop a personalized care plan for each guest based on their abilities, desires and needs,” Garrison said. “Residents and guests will be more comfortable in their surroundings, encourage each other and continue to improve their physical and mental state.”
The new rehab-to-home unit will feature six new private suites with separate bathrooms to serve clients who are there on a short-term basis because of illness, surgery or a fall before transitioning back to living on their own.
“Our goal is for the guest to return to their prior quality of life,” Garrison said. “Through this expansion, our short-term rehab guests will stay in a home-like atmosphere and receive quality care.”
Garrison said the changes to provide more privacy are a result of actively listening to what people want.
“We will have more private suites now because we recognize with the Baby Boomers that they prefer that,” she said.
Along with the suites, a new therapy gym will offer specialized, state-of-the-art equipment and designated areas for Hoosier Christian Village’s outpatient program, including a separate entrance and parking lot.
The “gym” also includes a complete kitchen, washer and dryer and dining room for residents to retrain themselves on daily living activities.
“There are lots of things they need to be able to do again safely before returning home,” Garrison said. “Getting dishes out of cabinets, being able to feed their pets, those are part of their therapy.”
Hoosier Christian Village is the only outpatient therapy clinic in Brownstown.
“We are trying to serve and meet the needs of our community,” Garrison said. “When I get phone calls, referrals or inquiries, I take note of what people are asking for.”
The new memory care unit will help provide “peace of mind” to families of loved ones diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, dementia or memory loss, Garrison said.
“When families call, the safety and security of their loved one is a priority,” she said. “We had purchased a new security system but felt that a separate, secured and locked unit with specialized staff for our residents with memory loss and dementia was a huge need.”
Residents of the secured memory wing will have their own living area complete with a dining room and kitchen and a courtyard and walking path to allow them to be outside safely at any time.
“The new secure wing will provide patients with dementia a quiet, nurturing environment with low stimulation and specialized care,” Garrison said.
As a result of the expansion, Garrison said staffing will be adjusted and likely more staff will have to be added. At the time the expansion was approved by the Indiana Department of Homeland Security, the application showed 60 people working there and 100 people visiting there each day.
An open house to show off the new additions to the community will be conducted at a later date and will be advertised to the public, Garrison said.
“We’re really serving our community and our neighbors,” Garrison said. “We’re excited about the expansion because it’s really beneficial for the county.”
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Hoosier Christian Village is one of 13 senior living communities operated by Christian Homes Inc., which was founded in Lincoln, Illinois, in 1962.
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