Private Space for Healing
PROVIDING PRIVATE ACCOMMODATIONS WAS A PLANNED STRATEGIC PRIORITY THAT BECAME BOTH URGENT AND MISSION-CRITICAL AMIDST THE PANDEMIC.
Our personalized approach to care requires that residents have the space and privacy they need to follow their unique daily rhythms and make independent decisions about their care. Transforming all semi-private rooms for short-term care into private rooms has long been a part of A.G. Rhodes’ strategic plan to provide the highest QUALITY OF CARE and QUALITY OF LIFE to residents and their families.
The COVID-19 pandemic has been a painful reminder that single occupancy rooms are essential to protecting nursing home residents from infectious disease – something that all seniors, regardless of socioeconomic status, should have access to. While Medicaid does not currently cover private accommodations, A.G. Rhodes is committed to creating the safest possible environment for residents to thrive.
Like many nursing homes across the country, A.G. Rhodes Cobb temporarily converted all double occupancy rooms into private rooms to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 virus – taking resident occupancy from 95 percent to 70 percent. Campaign funds will make this transition permanent, enabling A.G. Rhodes to become more ADAPTABLE and RESILIENT for future unforeseen health events. The addition of the Skilled Nursing and Memory Care Community will restore A.G. Rhodes’ capacity for resident occupancy to pre-pandemic levels while increasing operational capability for outpatient rehabilitation services in the existing building.
To go back to how things were before COVID-19 would be misguided. While the pandemic has brought unprecedented challenges to the nursing home industry, we must recognize the opportunity to redefine what elder care looks like. A.G. Rhodes is on the leading edge of this shift by designing smaller home environments, offering private accommodations, and placing equal emphasis on quality of life and quality of care.
DR. JOHN ZEISEL, PRESIDENT, I’M STILL HERE FOUNDATION;
INTERNATIONAL EXPERT ON DEMENTIA CARE AND TREATMENT INNOVATIONS
Moreover, privacy allows for DIGNITY and HUMANITY during a time when our elders are at their most vulnerable. There is restorative power in having a comfortable environment that offers the physical, mental, and emotional space to rest. In addition, single occupancy rooms enable staff care partners to provide the same level of care and day-to-day normalcy for residents in the event of an outbreak, which is essential for morale and continued healing.
More than 100 rooms will be transformed from two-bed units into 58 private studios. Each room will have a bedroom and sitting area and can easily transition into an isolation unit when needed. The remodeled rooms will be equipped with innovative technology, including a touch-screen application to support memory and engagement for elders at all levels of cognitive abilities – fostering independence and enabling virtual connection beyond the walls of the facility.
Generous commitments from the philanthropic community have allowed A.G. Rhodes Cobb to enhance more than 20 rooms to date, with overwhelmingly positive feedback from residents and families.
Located in our original building, an upgraded service center will be outfitted with commercial-grade kitchen and laundry equipment to allow our staff care partners to better accommodate special diets, streamline dining and laundry services, and support potential future growth. In addition, administrative offices will move from a separate rented space to the original building, creating further operational efficiencies.
