Nursing home’s state-of-the-art wing expected to open next month
October 30th, 2008
Mick Montag, developer of the new Oak Terrace Health Care Center of Gaylord, gave City officials a tour of the facility last week. A new nursing home wing is expected to open soon, according to Montag. Construction is also underway for assisted living and senior independent apartments (with indoor parking), memory loss units and a rehabilitation center. The entire project is expected to be completed in the fall 2009.
RoxAnne Gosson, administrator, said the new wing includes 13 double rooms. It will connect with the existing blue wing and green wing of the nursing home.
In addition to resident rooms, the new wing will have two bathing rooms, with bath tubs that better accommodate a resident entering and exiting the tub, she explained. In addition, the area includes a new nurses station, a medication room, and a charting room. There is also an enclosed courtyard where the residents can go outside.
Soon after residents move into the new wing, the existing nursing home rooms will be remodeled with new paint and flooring, she said.
Another feature that will be provided, once remodeling is completed in the blue wing, is that there will be a special care room for hospice patients.
The offices for the nursing home administrator and director of nursing will be housed in the nursing home.
Instead of having the nursing home wings be “color coded” like in the past, the wings throughout the facility will have tree-themed neighborhoods, she said. There will be Oak Lane, Pine Lane and Birch Lane at the nursing home. The memory care unit will be Autumn Lane, she said.
Oak Terrace Health Care Center is licensed for 56 beds. When the City owned the facility, two beds had been put on “lay away,” but they have since been relicensed, she said.
The next phase of construction that will be completed at the facility will be remodeling the mauve wing to house 18 residents in a memory care facility and the new therapy area. Residents from Heritage House will be moving to the main campus in the spring of 2009. The rehabilitation area will be double the size of the current therapy area in the basement.
The second major construction at Oak Terrace will be the Oak Terrace Senior Housing of Gaylord. This addition will house 27 assisted living apartments and 10 independent apartments. There will be heated underground parking, a community/theatre area for social activities, a dining room, a private dining room for family gatherings and various lounges.
The canopy entrance to the facility will also move from the present location to the new senior housing building, complete with a reception area. The main floor will also house the business staff.
The two-story addition will have a mixture of independent apartments and assisted living apartments, with the areas segregated by wings.
Those who choose to live in the independent apartments will be provided one meal per day, emergency call service, activities, and the option to purchase more services. Assisted living will have on-site staff. Those residents will be provided three meals per day.
An additional seven independent apartments overlooking Lake Titloe were completed in the lower level last summer.
Another change is that the chapel will be moving to the lower level, where the physical therapy room is currently located.
Residents have handled the construction very well, Gosson commented. She said that some are excited about the move.
The entire project is expected to be completed in the fall of 2009.
