Facility offers options for supportive services up to memory care
By Jason Arndt
Staff Writer
Within the first week of opening its doors, Oak Park Place of Burlington has already welcomed five new residents into the memory care and assisted living facility, officials report.
Oak Park Place, which broke ground locally in February 2016, is a Madison-based company with six other facilities in Wisconsin, Iowa and Minnesota.
Before the company started admitting residents, it hosted an open house March 30, when hundreds reportedly showed up to tour the two-story complex.
The visitors, according to Director of Housing Maryellen Olson, have shown support for the facility.
“(There was) a lot of interest from the community, at our open house,” said Olson, who formed an estimate from questions submitted by visitors. “We had between 500 to 600 people come here.”
The open house, Olson said, helped the new facility receive its first two residents with more scheduled to come.
“A couple days after the open house is when we were fortunate to have our first residents come to us,” said Olson, who anticipated three more this week.
Facility offerings
Clients looking to stay independent, but need routine supportive care or help with daily activities can choose from a variety of apartment housing options.
Director of Sales and Marketing Stacy Lemley said the facility is licensed as both a Residential Care Adult Community and a Community Based Residential Facility – distinctions that depend on the hours of care needed.
For the traditional RCAC package, clients receive up to 28 hours of care per week, or four hours daily.
The enhanced CBRF provided on the second floor is suitable for clients who need more than 28 hours a week, Lemley said.
“It is more for people or residents that have maybe, Parkinson’s disease, or physical disabilities,” she said. “They might be wheelchair bound, unable to help themselves with their activities of daily living.”
Activities of daily living are basic tasks, including bathing, transferring, dressing and toileting.
Although there is a difference in hours of care, all residents have the same options for apartment size: a studio, one-bedroom or two-bedroom apartment.
“We have had a high interest in the two-bedroom, whether it’s for a single female, a single male or couples,” Lemley said. “The two-bedroom has been our most popular inquiry.”
Along with apartment housing, clients with memory loss conditions can receive specialized levels of help in the memory care unit, which offers daily activities to encourage a healthy routine.
Fees vary based on client needs, said Olson, whose facility primarily accepts private payees.
Census growth
As residents move in, Oak Park Place seeks to build on its current staff, which consists of six caregivers and department leaders.
Department leaders include Chef Jacob Wisniewski, who previously served as Executive Chef for M&I Bank, and Maintenance Director Mike Lietke.
“We are very fortunate to get Mike and Jacob,” said Olson. “Mike is a former firefighter and knows the fire codes.”
Leading the care staff is Nursing Director Heather McGregor.
Currently, Oak Park has two certified nursing assistants or personal care workers on each shift, with oversight from McGregor.
According to the Oak Park Place website, the facility is accepting applications for caregiver and activity director, who coordinates recreational events for clients.
“We look for the best employees, we have found so many in the Burlington area and we are very pleased by that,” Olson said. “We would like to hire more people from the community.”
In addition to direct care staff, they look to bolster other departments, including food service and more receptionists.
“We screen our applicants very carefully, we do background checks on them. We do reference checks,” Olson said. “Our ideal candidate is someone who is personable and has a compassionate heart for the elderly.”
Facility amenities
While fees vary, Oak Park Place has included the following amenities into each plan:
- Housekeeping services
- Activity staff
- Three meals daily
- Internet access
- Local phone
- Utilities
- Satellite television
- Rooms for family gatherings, games, lounges, sunroom, library and resource room
- On-site salon services for additional fees
The lowdown
What: Oak Park Place Assisted Living and Specialized Memory Care
Where: 1700 Teut Road, Burlington.
Contact: (262) 757-8852
To apply: For application instructions, visit oakparkplace.com and click on the employment tab.
-
-
-
-
-