Small house-style memory care at Maine Veterans’ Homes – Augusta
Following the official groundbreaking on the new Maine Veterans’ Homes – Augusta facility, work on the small house memory care model is now underway. The new home, scheduled for completion in 2021, will offer assisted living, long term care and memory care to Maine’s veterans and eligible family members.
“The small house model that MVH is embracing for our veterans is really a unique opportunity,” said Deb Fournier, chief operations officer of Maine Veterans’ Homes. “It will be the first of its kind in Maine for our veterans, and we are very excited for this opportunity.”
The project is a national collaboration between Maine Veteran’s Homes and Gawron Turgeon Architects, P.C., Plunkett Raysich Architects, TJM Consulting, IMEG Corp, Stantec, and Pierce Engineers. Once completed, the home will have a neighborhood feel. Its outdoor spaces will include a fishing pond, courtyards, backyards and front yards. Residents will live in private rooms with bathrooms within 10-12 person homes.
“In the household itself, we have spaces like you would see in your home – a living room, a den, a dining room – that they can go and interact with each other and their neighbors,” said Fournier.
Small house design to enhance patient-centered care
This new approach to design has been shown to benefit both residents and staff. It places the resident at the center of care, creating an environment where healthcare professionals focus on the needs and goals of the individual. Staff also benefit from the small house memory care model, as it has been shown to foster communication between residents and those who work there.
“What really excites me as a caregiver and nurse about this project is to be able to deliver care in a setting that is home,” said Fourner. “We know that people live longer, have a better quality of life and recover better when they’re in their home. So to be able to completely transform care and deliver care in their home is really exciting for me.”
To read more about this innovative Maine Veterans’ Homes project, visit the MVH blog.
Read more about the Maine Veterans’ Homes small house facility groundbreaking in the Portland Press Herald, U.S. News & World Report, WGME, Mainebiz, WMTW, Seacoast Online, High Profile, News Center Maine, CentralMaine.com, and MSN News.
Photos courtesy of Maine Veterans’ Homes
