Featured
Socialization Benefits Of A Life Plan Community Especially Important Today
As we navigate through the second year of a global healthcare crisis—one that is seeing new COVID-19 variants threaten the delicate balance we’ve achieved between face-to-face interaction and safety—the toll it’s taking on our seniors remains a concern. Without socialization and stimulation, our physical as well as cognitive and emotional well-being can deteriorate as we age. That’s why Life Plan Communities that provide these services are taking on more importance than ever.
What Is A Life Plan Community?
A Life Plan Community, like St. Catherine’s Village, offers seniors housing with a continuum of care through their various stages of dependence…from independent living to assisted living to skilled nursing and even memory care if needed. An all-inclusive Life Plan Community allows residents to transition from one service level to another while remaining in a familiar environment.
How Does A Life Plan Community Support Senior Well-Being?
Numerous studies have proven that staying socially active supports a senior’s overall well-being by reducing stress and anxiety and lowering the risk of depression, which often stems from isolation. At St. Catherine’s Village, numerous activities and events are available on a daily basis to keep residents engaged with one another. For physical health, the Life Plan Community provides exercise classes along with wellness programs. Support groups also are offered as are chapel services to nurture residents’ spiritual lives.
It Safe To Move Into A Life Plan Community Now?
Yes! St. Catherine’s Village specifically has implemented many additional protocols to help keep residents, staff and family members safe during the pandemic. Even prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, St. Catherine’s Village adhered to best practices for cleanliness and hygiene as well as implemented strict infection control procedures. Before the start of each flu season, for example, the award-winning community requires not only its staff be vaccinated, but also contract workers and private duty staff. This has garnered St. Catherine’s Village a place on the Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) Influenza Vaccination Honor Roll—the only Life Plan Community in the Jackson, Mississippi area to receive this designation.
The Right Care At The Right Time.
While moving to a senior living community is a thoughtful decision at any time, many people are weighing the pros and cons of doing so even more carefully now. Only you can determine if a Life Plan Community is the right choice for you or your loved ones. Be sure to do your own independent research, speak to the experts, and tour St. Catherine’s Village to see first-hand the measures the Life Plan Community has in place to minimize health risks while providing high quality care and much needed social interaction for all its residents.
Learn More About St. Catherine’s Village Life Plan Community
St. Catherine’s Village Receives CARF Accreditation As Continuing Care Retirement Community
St. Catherine’s Village has once again been issued accreditation from CARF International, an independent, nonprofit accreditor of health and human services. This outstanding achievement is an indication of the Life Plan Community’s dedication and commitment to improving the quality of the lives of the persons it serves.
Effective April 2021 through May 2026, the five-year accreditation acknowledges that St. Catherine’s Village has conformed to a set of internationally recognized standards set forth by CARF. According to survey results, residents, families and staff have expressed high levels of satisfaction with the Life Plan Community, describing a family-like atmosphere. In addition, St. Catherine’s Village’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic was swift and well-orchestrated to minimize impact within the Continuing Care Retirement Community. St. Catherine’s Village has demonstrated its ability to grow and adapt to the changing environment and has achieved positive outcomes.
CARF identified the following strengths for St. Catherine’s Village.
St. Catherine’s Village is in a beautiful, pastoral setting in central Mississippi. Established in 1988, the 160-acre campus has evolved to meet the changing needs of residents and staff over the past three decades. The campus is a mixture of both formal and informal outdoor spaces. There are multiple ponds that are used frequently by residents, staff, and (on occasion) family members for fishing and other outdoor recreation. Walking paths are available and accessible for all. Views of the lakes from resident spaces are maximized as much as possible.
All interior spaces at St. Catherine’s Village are light and bright and designed to accommodate the needs of aging seniors. A chapel is available for Catholic and other spiritual services. The stained-glass windows (made by a resident) and the elaborate high-ceiling architecture provide residents, families and staff a beautiful spiritual environment to pray, meditate or attend services; and there is a quarterly celebration of life in the chapel to honor all residents who have recently passed away.
The staff is dedicated to the mission of St. Catherine’s Village. Staff members are committed to providing care and compassion for their residents and described St. Catherine’s Village as a family-like environment. One staff member said, “It is a ministry to many of us.”
The organization’s leadership team is cohesive and enthusiastic about its work. Each member has a firm grasp of the member’s area of expertise and offers up knowledge readily, adding great value to the work of the organization. This was especially evident by leadership’s dedication to the residents’ safety and social well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. Introducing enhanced communications for residents, staff and family members; helping residents with virtual visits, in-house parades, variety shows, and grocery shopping services; opening a dedicated COVID-19 wing; and implementing COVID-19 diets were but a few of the innovative solutions used to combat the negative effects of the
Residents appreciate the safety and security provided at all levels of care. The gated entrance is manned 24 hours a day. In interviews with residents, many expressed never feeling the need to lock their doors. The daily check-in for residents living in the garden homes and apartments adds another layer of security for residents and their families.
Residents are highly involved in the life of the community and are supportive of each other. New residents are welcomed through a variety of activities and offerings of food, practical advice, and companionship by existing residents. The Village News, provided by staff on a regular basis, and the Villager, a resident publication, communicate activities and information in a timely manner.
Healthy and delicious meals are served in a variety of dining venues. There is ample space for residents to gather in both small and large groups. Resident feedback is routinely reviewed and acted on by the Food Committee. Catering services are provided for private gatherings, and residents report a high level of satisfaction in these offerings.
Care to residents with cognitive impairment is provided in Campbell Cove, an assisted living facility. Dementia education is provided to staff and residents on a routine basis. Staff do a “journey through life” assessment when residents are admitted to provide care and services that mimic a resident’s normal routine and preferences.
There are multiple settings in which skilled nursing care is provided, including the Hughes Center, which was recently constructed and serves to care for residents in Campbell Cove whose needs exceed what can be provided in the assisted living setting. All rooms have been designed with different levels of lighting to enhance vision and minimize disturbance to residents. Closets are large enough to store adaptive equipment.
Activities provided to residents throughout the continuum by a creative and dedicated staff. While this has been extremely challenging throughout the COVID-19 outbreak, staff has made exceptional efforts to keep residents engaged and connected to family and friends. Support groups have been facilitated through the activities department to address the grief, cognitive stress, and depression that have been exacerbated by the isolation from normal life imposed during this difficult period. Residents and staff are looking forward to a return to getting together to play bridge, bingo, and croquet, as well as to attend club meetings, dine together, and fish in the ponds.
Schedule An In-Person Tour Of St. Catherine’s Village Life Plan Community
Senior Living Communities Recognized as Most Engaged by Holleran
Forty-nine campuses recognized for their exemplary efforts in creating a culture of engagement and satisfaction in their communities, despite the COVID pandemic.
Holleran, the nation’s leading research firm specializing in engagement and satisfaction studies for residents and employees, has announced the recipients of the Choice Community Awards for 2020. Holleran’s Choice Community Award recognizes organizations with strong cultures of engagement. These providers have cultivated an environment where resident voices are heard, connections are rich, well-being is enhanced and personal fulfillment can be realized. Employees are highly engaged, with large numbers of catalysts on campus who embrace culture change, plan to stay with the organization long term and are passionate about the organizational mission and vision. These award-winning campuses are in the top 15th percentile of all campuses in Holleran’s massive benchmark.
“This year has been exceptionally challenging within the senior living industry – which makes the recipients of Choice Community Award all that much more extraordinary,” says Michele Holleran, Founder and CEO of Holleran. “The Choice Community recipients have emerged from the pandemic in spite of the odds, finding creative ways to engage both residents and employees.”
“Engaging senior living communities are fundamentally stronger in collaboration and connection to other residents, employees, the community, and life goals,” remarks Katelyn McCauley, Senior Research Analyst. “During the coronavirus pandemic, these areas all took a backseat to the general health and well-being of the residents and employees. To be a Choice Community this year, these campuses exceeded all expectations and continued to provide a unique and valuable environment focused on the successful aging of older adults, and paying attention to the well-being of their employees.”
Holleran has the largest benchmark of its kind, measuring both resident and employee engagement/satisfaction in the senior living space. Currently, the benchmark comprises more than 200,000 resident and employee surveys, all completed within the last three years. This enables organizations to compare their performance to their peers, whether they are across the road or across the country. Utilizing this extensive body of research, Holleran recognizes the most engaging senior living organizations in the nation.
About Holleran: Holleran is a full-service community engagement research and consulting firm with
offices in Pennsylvania and Colorado. Learn more at http://www.holleranconsult.com.
