When exploring senior living communities, whether for yourself or a loved one, your ultimate goal is to find one that offers the programming, services, amenities and residence options that fit your needs, personality and financial situation. It’s important, however, to also understand the health care and support services available at a retirement community you are researching. The fact is, the quality of care you or your loved one has access to is just as important as any other facet of the community that will become home.
It’s true that you may never need any type of senior care assistance, but what if at some point you do? The quality of that care, as well as the qualifications of those providing it, can make a tremendous difference in your quality of life and your ability to live at the highest level of independence.
What Is the Best Definition of Senior Care?
As you visit senior communities and ask questions about their care, you may be surprised how different the responses are. Asking a community how it defines “care” is a good way to gain valuable insights into their approach.
At Sierra Winds, we believe senior care is more than care that focuses on older adults’ physical health needs. To us, senior care is about ensuring older adults have everything they need to take a holistic approach to wellness, so they can feel healthy, happy and whole. It’s about providing an environment that meets their social, intellectual, emotional and spiritual needs, as well as their physical ones.
Supportive Services
To help ensure residents can continue to live as independently as possible in their apartment homes, we offer an array of supportive in-home services. These include assistance with bathing and dressing, if needed, as well as reminders to make sure they’re taking their medication as prescribed, appointment escorts, vital checks, and other concierge services.
But if an illness, injury or other health event occurs, physical needs often take precedence. In these instances, seniors may require a higher level of health services — such as skilled nursing or rehabilitation services. The primary goal of Sierra Winds’ professionally trained staff is to provide expert, individualized care that addresses their immediate needs while helping them recover their independence to the fullest possible measure.
The Health Center at Sierra Winds
Our Health Center has consistently earned high ratings from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), which means you can rest assured the quality of our clinical services, our staffing and the nurturing environment in our health center are among the best in the industry.
Our well-vetted health care professionals are committed to providing the highest level of care with warmth, respect and compassion. We offer short- and long-term skilled nursing, a range of rehabilitation services and supportive services for residents who can benefit from them (see more in the Supportive Services section below). Hospice care can also be arranged.
Amenities in our health center include:
- Large private and semiprivate rooms with cable TV and phone
- A state-of-the-art therapy room with exercise equipment
- Outdoor walking paths with desert landscaping
- Innovative spa/meditation rooms with handicapped-accessible whirlpool baths
- Kitchen and utility space for use during occupational therapy
While Sierra Winds residents have priority access to these health services, older adults residing in the communities surrounding Sierra Winds can also take advantage of the services available in our health center.
Skilled Nursing
Short-term skilled nursing is typically for those who need access to around-the-clock care as they continue to heal after a hospital stay, before returning home. Seniors who require long-term skilled nursing may have a chronic health condition that is best managed with 24-hour care.
An interdisciplinary team of Sierra Winds professionals works with each resident and their family to develop a personalized care plan. In addition to licensed professionals such as RNs, LPNs and certified nurse aides, our teams include dietitians, social workers, and therapists who provide restorative and rehabilitative treatments.
To ensure residents have opportunities to engage emotionally and intellectually, our skilled nursing programming includes social, educational and recreational activities. We also provide three nutritious, cooked-to-order meals each day, which residents can enjoy in the neighborhood dining room whenever it suits them.
Rehabilitation Services
Rehabilitation therapy is helpful for seniors who’ve recently had surgery (such as a joint replacement); experienced a serious illness (such as cancer, a cardiac event or stroke); or an injury (such as a broken limb).
Those receiving rehabilitation services in our health center are supported by a team of professionals that includes a doctor, nurse, social worker, dietitian and licensed therapists appropriate for each person’s care plan.
These interdisciplinary teams create personalized care plans that include any or all of the following, depending on each resident’s unique needs.
- Physical therapy, which can improve balance, strength, mobility and flexibility, and can be useful in managing pain and stiffness. Physical therapy can include exercise interventions, education, manual therapy (manipulation) and therapeutic modalities such as heat, cold and electricity.
- Occupational therapy, which is used to improve fine motor skills (such as picking up objects), visual perception and the ability to perform routine tasks (such as eating and getting dressed). The goal of occupational therapy is to help residents get back to living as independently as they can.
- Speech therapy, which includes both “receptive” language (the ability to understand spoken words) and “expressive” language (the ability to speak). Speech pathologists can also work with residents who are having difficulty swallowing due to an injury or medical condition.
Rehabilitation therapy at Sierra Winds can help you succeed by providing the support you need to recover safely and stick with your care plan.
Observation Services
To assist with recovery, we offer observation services both prior to scheduled surgeries and following hospital stays, providing testing and medical evaluation according to physician orders. To ensure continued safety, our services include home assessments as well as recommendations for home arrangements and therapy goals.
For those who are interested, we start with a complimentary assessment of their medical and lifestyle needs. This way, we can recommend services customized to meet their unique needs. And, rather than paying for an advanced level of care every month like they would in an assisted living community, they pay only for the services they use.
We’ve Added New Faces to Our Medical Team
As we continue to provide Sierra Winds residents and seniors in the greater Peoria area with the best care, we are committed to the continued growth of our health center medical team. If you’d like to visit our community and meet the new professionals on staff, we encourage you to contact us so we can arrange a time. If you prefer, you can call us at 623-552-7722.
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