Three years after it opened, Renaissance Gardens is blooming again.
A new wing of the Renaissance Gardens at Greenspring in Springfield, which offers assisted living and nursing for seniors, opened on Tuesday, Jan. 18, giving the facility the ability to meet the short- and long-term needs of its 2,100 independent living residents.
"We are very excited. It's a chance to dramatically expand the program and offer a larger program for the residents here. We're duplicating the services we already have, but it is nice to be able to meet the needs of all the residents here," said Will Nance, Greenspring's associate executive director.
The new wing of Renaissance Gardens will mean 34 more assisted living apartments, in addition to the 69 currently in the facility. A 44-bed rehabilitation unit also opened, which will offer short-term therapy to residents.
“It enables us to give care to more people and expand rehab services we already had,” said Andi Pearson, director of community relations for Renaissance Gardens.
The opening was in response to the demand for space in the current wing of Renaissance Gardens. Opened in June 2001, the facility gives priority to current residents of Greenspring, and since August, the nursing care portion has been full just with residents.
“The state doesn’t let you put in bunk beds," said Pearson.
While Greenspring is a retirement campus for people 62 and older, Renaissance Gardens offers more services for those requiring assisted living, who can walk or propel their own wheelchair but need some help with daily activities, or those requiring nursing care, who need three meals and help with bathing, dressing and other basic activities.
Nurses are available 24 hours a day, and the facility has its own doctors on staff.
The idea, said Nance, was to create a campus where those residents who move to Greenspring can be cared for under all circumstances.
"It ensures that if residents need our services, we won't have to ask them to go somewhere else," he said. "Many residents move here and they live very active, exciting lives in independent living, but they have that safety net that if their health does decline, or if they need rehab services, it's right here on campus."
The rehab floor will be a place for those residents of Greenspring or nonresidents to receive therapeutic care, for a short term before returning home.
"Having a designated 'rehabilitation unit' will allow residents a transitional environment where they can stay short-term, receive therapy, and return home at their prior functioning level," said Holly Henderson, sales manager for Renaissance Gardens.
A nursing floor at the new wing opens Feb. 1, and another will open in 2006, should the need arise. Despite the growth, enough space remains on Greenspring's campus to build one more wing at Renaissance Gardens, if demand calls for it.
"It was part of the master plan that we were to build Phase 2. We knew that as the population at Greenspring grew, we would need additional services," said Nance. "It continues the fulfillment of the promise we made to residents, [to] give them peace of mind. If they need the services, they'll be taken care of."