The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Making a comfortable and social home for the elderly
by Mark Reaman
Senior care in Gunnison County is about to take a major step forward with the opening of the new senior living facility in Gunnison. Built under the umbrella of Gunnison Valley Health, the 52,000-square-foot building will be home for up to 50 people in need of assisted living and will offer a more modern and “social experience” from what has been offered in the past. There is already a waiting list for potential residents.
A tour for local media was held Friday, November 9 as the final construction touches were being worked on for the official November 30 opening date. The new concept provides three so-called “neighborhoods” for residents, with 44 rooms designed for singles and three semi-private rooms perfect for couples. There is also one hospice suite that allows family members to stay with their loved one overnight. The “Blue Mesa” neighborhood is specifically designed to address memory-challenged residents dealing with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. The other two neighborhoods, the Van Tuyl and the Taylor Park, are designed for people of age.
During the Friday tour, the directional signs were not all installed yet but the facility will have a chapel, a hair salon, a spa, gym, several gardens and several communal spaces for residents to gather. In the center of each neighborhood is a place for staff and a small kitchen area where residents can feel like they are in a home rather than an institution.
Each neighborhood will have a fireplace and communal dining area as well. Colorful art from local photographers hang on the walls in the wide hallways lit by soft lights. Rooms are spacious and each has a bathroom. The building is full of natural light from an abundance of windows throughout the common areas and in each room.
“This facility was designed for the future and is meant to be much more social than institutional in nature,” explained center administrator Mary Blattner. “We want people living here to feel they are in their home.”
The staffing ratio at the new facility is one staff person for every seven residents, which is more than the national average of one staff person for every 12 residents.
The current facility was built in 1976 and could cater up to 55 people but is more than 40 years old and built in a time when institutional efficiency as opposed to residential comfort was the priority. GVH marketing director Kylie Murgatroyd explained that the old facility will close with the opening of the new one, but will maintain the existing meeting room known as the solarium. She said Gunnison Valley Health is currently evaluating the opportunity to keep a portion of the existing building. A decision will be made in early 2019.
The groundbreaking for this new building took place in August 2017. It was budgeted to cost $24 million and according to GVH is coming in at approximately $1 million under budget. The new senior care center’s rates are competitive with facilities on the Western Slope for an all-inclusive private room (varies depending on the situation but is about $300 per day) and the center accepts all payment options including private pay, insurance companies, Medicare, Medicaid and long-term care policies.
A community open house will be held on Tuesday, November 27 from 1 to 3 p.m. Guided tours will be available. Residents will move in on November 30 after a ribbon-cutting at 9 a.m. Murgatroyd said the transition from old to new will be a true community event, with local police officers joining family and GVH staff in volunteering to assist in the move.
