Avamere Family of Companies Reaffirms Commitment to Behavioral and Mental Health Services for Washington Seniors
Tacoma, Washington (PRWEB) November 20, 2014 -- Avamere Georgian House of Lakewood, a 73-bed, post-acute care facility with a strong focus on mental health, will re-locate its patients on January 16, 2015, which was noted in a November 5, 2014 filing with the Washington state Department of Labor and Industries. All residents have the option to move to the nearby Avamere Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation of Tacoma, which will be renamed Avamere at Pacific Ridge. The 102-bed healthcare center specializes in behavioral health and mental health and is undergoing a $2.4 million renovation, which is scheduled to finish by the end of November.
According to Albert Castaneda, Director of Growth and Development for Avamere Living, Avamere Georgian House of Lakewood was built in 1956, a time when nursing homes were designed with an institutionalized aesthetic. “Up to four residents shared a room with public restrooms located down the hall,” says Castaneda. “Imagine how tight the quarters are with 73 patients plus staff all sharing approximately 17,000 square feet to work and live in. That left little room for common areas and a place that truly feels like home.”
“Avamere Georgian House of Lakewood facility has lived its useful life and we are very excited to welcome its current residents into the newly renovated Avamere Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation of Tacoma building,” says Matthew Hilty, Vice President of Avamere Living. “These important upgrades to the approximately 40,000 square foot building will provide residents with two distinct secure neighborhoods, common areas to gather and socialize, modern living spaces, and a new therapy gym as well.”
The redesign of Avamere Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation of Tacoma is intended to give Washington seniors in need of behavioral health and memory care services a comfortable community where they have autonomy and access to healthcare professionals. “This severely underserved population will have a home where their families can visit in an environment that has evolved to reflect the demands and expectations of those we serve,” says Castaneda.
Dr. Doug Wornell, a Seattle-Tacoma based psychiatrist, author and dementia expert, notes that it is impressive for the Avamere companies to dedicate so many resources to geriatric mental health services in the heart of Tacoma because “there are very few other skilled nursing facilities doing that.”
“I think it speaks volumes that Avamere is dedicating the resources to, firstly, recognize chronic illnesses such as dementia, and secondly to fill a void in senior healthcare services in the region that has largely gone unfulfilled in the long-term care setting,” says Dr. Wornell.
About the Avamere Family of Companies
Founded in 1995 and based in Wilsonville, Oregon, the Avamere Family of Companies began as a single nursing facility in Hillsboro, Oregon. Today, the Avamere Family is comprised of 42 Independent Living, Assisted Living, Transitional Care and Skilled Nursing facilities, over 6,200 employees, and multiple ancillary healthcare companies that provide services including inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation, home care, home health, and hospice. For more information, please visit http://www.avamere.com.
# # #
For more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview, please call Drew Hanson at 971-224-2831 or by email at DMHanson(at)avamere(dot)com.
Drew Hanson, The Avamere Family of Companies, http://www.avamere.com, +1 971-224-2831, [email protected]
Share this article