Building with Care: Ebenezer Ridges Campus Grows
As part of Fairview Health Services, Ebenezer and Ebenezer Management Services offer a full range of senior living and care options for more than 60 operating entities in the Twin Cities metro area and outstate Minnesota.
As we age, more and more Americans are aiming to simplify their lives, shedding property and possessions for less demanding lifestyles. At the same time, growing medical needs or other issues may necessitate complicated choices, disruptive changes and moves. The Ebenezer Ridges campus in Burnsville, Minnesota is working to make these transitions for seniors and their families a smoother road.
Over the past two years, Kraus-Anderson has been working with Ebenezer to complete the care continuum of services on its Ridges campus in Burnsville, which offers skilled nursing transitional care, adult day care and child care in addition to assisted living and memory care. Recent projects include the three-story, 80,000 s.f. Arbors at Ridges assisted living facility, completed in 2013; and conversion of the former assisted living facility to what is now called Arbor Lane, providing assisted living and specialty care, including comfort care suites for seniors at the end of life. Construction begins soon on a new transitional care unit adjacent to the campus Care Center. Each component strengthens the continuum of care provided on the campus.
“After opening just a year ago, Arbor Lane is already filled, which is a testament to the exceptional services the staff provide,” said Erin Hilligan, campus administrator on the Ebenezer Ridges campus.
Q: What prompted the name change at Arbor Lane?
Hilligan: The building was remodeled – we built a new assisted living with Kraus-Anderson, that allowed us the opportunity to add a memory care community to our campus – something we knew we needed and a service we were not providing at the time.
Q: The facility is already filled. How many residents are there?
Hilligan: We have two secured communities – White Pine and Blue Spruce – for a total of 31 apartments. Additionally, we have a 13-apartment specialty community for Assisted Living/Independent Living and our Solace program (end of life comfort care program).
Q: Why has there been such a strong response to Arbor Lane?
Hilligan: I really think the campus is the reason why all of our communities support each other. Ebenezer Ridges has a strong reputation in the community for providing excellent care. Everyone knows us, so they trusted that when we added memory care we would have the training, the programs and the people to provide exceptional service.
Q: Talk about current trends in memory care, and how these are reflected at Arbor Lane.
Hilligan: Training is what is special at Arbor Lane – we use a specialized training that incorporates things like validation therapy techniques, aromatherapy, wellness, lifelong learning, intergenerational relationships and outings.
Q: What distinguishes Arbor Lane from other memory care facilities? Arbor Lane is different because of the specialized training, great staff, the campus community and including intergenerational living. We work with Fairview and the University of Minnesota to ensure we are aware of the latest research. We also have a performance improvement payment plan (PIPP) grant from the Department of Human Services (DHS) in partnership with the Alzheimers Association for the nursing homes.
Q: Talk about the various types of services available at Arbor Lane:
Hilligan:
Assisted Living – Apartments with services that the resident selects to support their level of care needed.
Specialty Care – For us, this is Solace, our end of life assisted living model; and we partner with Fairview Home Care and Hospice.
Comfort Care Suites – This is a higher level of assisted living with 24 hour nursing.
Q: As needs change, traditionally continuum care has meant transitioning from one physical environment to another. Is that still the case? Or is there more flexibility now to remain in one’s familiar home/apartment, with additional services provided as needed?
Hilligan: Once you move onto the Ebenezer Ridges Campus, we make every effort to keep you in your apartment home as long as possible. Over time, there may be reasons to move – financially or for security – but for the most part – it is best if people stay in their home.
Q: Talk about the role of intergenerational support at the Ebenezer Ridges campus.
Hilligan: We have 56 children on the campus – we believe that living in an intergenerational community provides a richer environment for all – kids and seniors – not to mention the staff. Living where age is not a topic – focuses on what can be possible, not what is not possible.
Q: Talk about plans for the new 18,155 s.f. transitional care unit.
Hilligan: The TCU will be responding to the growing need for transitional care in our community. Currently, we have 12 rooms assigned to provide short term care for people who have had a hospital stay and need a place to heal and rehab before going home. In order to meet the growing demand within the Fairview system and hopefully outside our system, we are doubling our capacity. This expansion is a real benefit to our community as it lets us serve the people of Burnsville right here in the community. They don’t have to leave Burnsville to receive care.
The TCU will be on the south end of the Care Center building. The new wing will not be in occupied space, but at some point we will make a connection.
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