Homer Glen, Ill. (Friday, October 11, 2013) - State Senator and Minority Leader Christine Radogno's visit to the construction site of Victorian Village Health & Wellness Center gave her a firsthand look at the future of senior healthcare. The Center is the first "small house" in Illinois, a model of care that requires a whole new approach to caregiving, schedules, meals, and staffing. In fact, last month, leadership staff participated in several days of specialized training in how to deliver care in a "small house" setting.
As Ray Hemphill, Executive Vice President of Project Development, explained to the Senator, "This is a new concept, it's the first one in Illinois, so at every step in the licensure process there was a lot of education that had to happen. We had to explain how we were still upholding regulations — but in new ways."
For example, the Center will have an open kitchen, rather than the typical four-walled, enclosed kitchen found in most institutions. The new style of kitchen and dining poses no additional risk to residents and helps build collaboration and community.
Staffing will be different as well — but skilled nursing regulations will still be met. At least one Registered Nurse will be on campus 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with multiple RNs staffing all three buildings most of the time. But nurses are the only staff who have specialized roles to fill. CNAs will be "universal" workers, trained and empowered to perform all the duties of the house except for nursing. A small house CNA might help residents get dressed in the morning, then throw a load of laundry in, and then lead a group discussion about the day's menu. Residents will be encouraged to participate in the life of the house to whatever extent they are able — helping in the kitchen, working in the garden, making decisions about outings, and more.
"It's a whole new way of delivering care," says Ray Hemphill, "and it's actually more effective and more home-like. If I had had a choice where my mom could live when she started needing help, this is what I'd want."
The Senator and her staff asked a number of questions during their 45-minute tour. Brian Burian, part of the Senator's team, expressed his appreciation for Providence's willingness to "hang in there" through a long process of permitting, explaining, re-submitting, following up, and now constructing. Impressed with the small house vision for providing care in a truly home-like setting, he looked over the construction site at the three buildings that will form the Health & Wellness Center, and said, "It's got to be great, at the end of the day — even long days — to know you're doing important work."
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