Winston-Salem Retirement Community Breaks Ground on $9 Million Healthcare Expansion

March 6, 2012 - PRLog -- Homestead Hills, a retirement community located in Winston-Salem, N.C., announced today that it will break ground on a $9 million healthcare expansion on Friday, March 16 with a brief ceremony and reception.

Homestead Hills is adding 18 beds for Alzheimer’s care and 40 skilled nursing beds, which is a new service line for the retirement community. Executive Director Pat Halsey says the expansion will create up to 60 local jobs.

“In addition to the short-term jobs created by the construction, we will create nearly 30 long-term health care jobs,” Halsey said. “We will have immediate needs for certified nursing assistants, licensed practical nurses, a registered nurse and various management positions within our dining and member services departments.”

With a target opening date of February 2013, Halsey says the community will begin actively recruiting for open positions by the fall of 2012. Homestead Hills currently employs 81 people with an average salary of approximately $32,000.

The expansion will add approximately 36,000 square feet to the community’s footprint with nearly 30,000 square feet dedicated to skilled nursing and a secured Alzheimer’s neighborhood. In addition, the community is nearly doubling its existing wellness center by adding an indoor heated therapy pool, exercise and activity rooms, and additional common areas.

Halsey says the skilled nursing and Alzheimer’s neighborhoods were also designed with wellness in mind.

“We take our mission of helping our Members live longer, healthier and happier lives very seriously and we were very thoughtful in designing these buildings,” Halsey said. “We thought – how can we design an environment that people want to live in and that will actually help them improve their health as they age?”

By incorporating outdoor courtyards, private and communal dining spaces, and expansive occupational and physical therapy gyms, Halsey says the expansion is the first health care building in the Triad to embody a holistic approach to resident wellness.

Homestead Hills has been twice recognized for its wellness programs by the Assisted Living Federation of America (ALFA).  In 2010, it won a “Best of the Best” award for an aquatic therapy program called Waves which was designed to reduce symptoms associated with memory impairment.  In 2011, a program which the community developed in partnership with researchers from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center (WFUBMC) and the J. Paul Sticht Center on Aging, was also recognized by ALFA as the best wellness program in the country.

That program, called C.L.I.M.B., focused on improving lower-body strength in older adults to increase the likelihood that a person could live independently in the future. For a video of the program in action, please visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7l22LvZ1SBI.



C.L.I.M.B. also served as the cornerstone for the development of a purpose-based wellness model which has been expanded to 12 retirement communities throughout the Southeast and Midwest.

The ground-breaking ceremony will take place from 1:00 to 1:30 p.m. and will feature Halsey as a guest speaker in addition to Wallace Saunders, President of Senior Living Communities, and Ellen Atkins, a fellow with the NC Institute on Aging. Following the ceremony, the community will host a reception until 3:00 p.m., and the public is invited to attend. Homestead Hills is located at 3250 Homestead Club Drive, Winston-Salem, N.C.  27103.


About Homestead Hills
Homestead Hills is an all-inclusive retirement community located in Winston-Salem, N.C.  The community’s care-free lifestyle helps members live longer, healthier and happier lives by offering an array of amenities including maintenance-free living, daily fine dining, weekly housekeeping, a personalized wellness program and on-site health services. The gated community offers residents a variety of floor plans including single-family cottage homes and condominium-style villas. Assisted-living, skilled nursing and memory-care rooms are also available for those who need to make a transition from independent living. More information about Homestead Hills is located at www.Homestead-Hills.com.

# # #

Senior Living Communities, headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., owns and operates 12 premier retirement communities in the Southeast and Midwest. The company's focus is to help residents live longer, healthier and happier lives.