A Home, Not a Hallway
“Assisted living” is a term you often hear about aging and senior lifestyles. This concept is relatively new, having begun in the 1970s. Before that time, there weren’t many options for aging seniors, and any available option tended to be cold and impersonal. Not so today. Through the years, seniors have become more knowledgeable, aware, and discerning, and progressive communities have adapted to offer various sophisticated options that make assisted living viable and attractive. And the 21st-century face of assisted living is being redefined to be an appealing, life-giving community with many wonderful options.
At Camellia Place, the living arrangement is laid out differently from traditional assisted living environments. Camellia Place is a neighborhood of homes designed to foster a sense of community amongst the residents, where it’s easy to cultivate meaningful connections with others. This neighborhood is nestled in eight beautifully landscaped acres and comprises six single-story homes with only 16 residents living in each, maintaining an intimate and homelike setting. The residents’ rooms are situated so that it doesn’t feel like a long hallway of doors but that of a family of senior adults who are part of a very active and connected community.
The advantages of Camellia Place’s small-home model are many.
First, residents live as a typical family does. They participate in recreational activities and socialization events that keep them connected. Preventing social isolation improves the longevity and happiness of our lives. In larger assisted living facilities, residents tend to isolate themselves in their apartments, maybe coming out for a meal or an activity, therefore not fully gaining the benefits of community living. At Camellia Place, nothing and no one is too far for residents. Residents can easily access house amenities, neighborhood events or connect with a team member anytime. The intimate designs promote residents’ individual independence while building trusting relationships with others. Resident apartment suites are all private rooms with private bathrooms and showers. Residents leave their doors and quickly enter the intimate and common areas of the house. Like at home, residents eat together in a smaller dining room, access snacks and beverages as they please from the kitchen, and enjoy relaxing in the living rooms or catching up with family and friends on the porch.
Camellia Place team members see residents as family, not as a room number. The home design and limited residents support personalized care and attention from team members, such as anticipating individuals’ favorite snacks and drinks and keeping the kitchen stocked to make it feel more inviting to the residents. They enjoy delicious family-style meals around a table in an intimate setting allowing for more of a relaxing dining experience rather than waiting in lines and eating in large rooms that can be overwhelming for some. Each house has a front and back porch that allows for conversations and connections to form naturally. Additionally, the neighborhood design of Camellia Place brings houses together with energizing programs such as exercise classes, “concerts in the park,” where residents enjoy a band performance from their porches, and much more.
The importance of Camellia Place’s unique layout became even more prominent with the unexpected onslaught of the Coronavirus and its horrendous impact on seniors and institutions responsible for their care. With the worldwide outbreak at pandemic levels, many assisted living facilities have been locked down. Further isolating a vulnerable group already subjected to profound loneliness, many residents were restricted to their rooms to avoid spreading the virus through social interaction. The living layouts at Camellia Place significantly reduce the risk of viruses from community-wide spreading and give residents a healthy and vibrant lifestyle. Camellia Place was designed to be a home for senior adults, not a facility where identity and independence are stripped away. The team members and the residents are family. Our kitchen is your kitchen. As residents walk to their tables for breakfast, their personal coffee mugs are already set out for them by the staff. Our close-knit community and personal care naturally cultivated this sense of family with the residents, which is sadly something hard to come by in this industry. A smaller living community can be quite the change for some, but it is designed to promote happiness and keep seniors connected and thriving.
Being focused on person-centered care is an honest, deliberate, and transformational approach to care. Through open communication and leveraging individual strengths and choices, we enrich hearts, engage minds and increase “social capital.” The Resident Vitality program translates into happy residents who feel their personal best and look forward to each new day. We are a community committed to delivering uncompromising, person-centered care. By following a model of care that’s both efficient and proactive, we’re able to anticipate the needs of our residents, ensuring continuous safety, dignity, and comfort.
