(Chelsea Update would like to thank Lisa French for the information in this story.)
All new private resident rooms with personal showers, inviting common areas and dining spaces, and a welcoming new entrance with bakery are just part of the expansion and renovations recently completed at United Methodist Retirement Communities (UMRC) & Porter Hills’ Kresge Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center (Kresge Center), located on UMRC’s historic Chelsea campus.
This five-phase project, part of the UMRC Foundation’s Growing to Serve comprehensive campaign, included a 15,000-square foot addition and extensive renovations to provide state-of-the-art care and amenities, incorporating the Household Model, for its long-term care residents as well as short-term rehabilitation guests.
Phases 1 through 4, completed prior to COVID-19, created new private rooms with personal showers for each resident of the Kresge Center which has capacity for 85 people.
Each room at Kresge Center is Medicaid-eligible.
The 5th and final phase resumed in June 2020, after COVID-19 delayed construction in March due to restrictions on outside visitors to the retirement community. This phase featured the renovation of the dining room and completion of the household spaces on Kresge Center’s second floor, and the renovation of kitchens on the first and second floors.
The construction crew built temporary walls and created new entrances to the building to completely separate and isolate the construction area from Kresge Center’s living spaces, and followed all safety precautions, including daily temperature screenings, social distancing, and wearing masks.
Through the construction and the pandemic, Kresge Center has maintained its 5-Star quality rating with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
Thanks to grant funding, Kresge Center team members have adopted the Action Pact Household Model of culture change for its long-term skilled nursing residents living on the second floor.
This model of small household living embraces person-centered care, individual choices, and close personal attention, and includes common kitchen and living spaces that feel like home.
The entrance to the second floor resembles the front porch of a home with a sign that says, “These are the Houses Thome Built,” in honor of the Edward N. and Della L. Thome Memorial Foundation which contributed to the project.
Two small households, one for traditional long-term care residents and one for those living with dementia, have been named for two couples and longtime friends who helped make this project possible: Hicks’ Home, named for John and Martha Hicks, and Sarns’ Sanctuary, in honor of Richard and Norma Sarns.
