YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Changes in reimbursement will lead to more private rooms at senior care facilities in Ohio.
An initiative proposed by the Ohio Department of Medicaid and announced by Gov. Mike DeWine in July will go into effect near the end of the year. It will reimburse nursing homes more for private rooms, encouraging more accessibility. The proposal pays $30 more per day for private rooms with a private bathroom and $20 more for a shared bathroom.
A national study by Health Management Associates found 82% of long-term care residents prefer a private room. The pandemic taught medical providers that separation is important for controlling disease and overall health.
Creating a private room means local senior care providers are building new facilities while moving a licensed bed from another location, where previously two might have shared a room. This creates private rooms in each facility.
During the pandemic, Diane and Ed Reese, the president and CEO, respectively, of EDM Management Inc., already were in the process of building Briarfield Place on Market Street at McClurg Road in Boardman.
Residents at the 58-bed skilled nursing and rehabilitation center enjoy private rooms, while receiving wound care, IV therapy, pain and medication management. The center has a rehabilitation room and outdoor space where residents can relearn mobility skills such as navigating a sidewalk or climbing stairs. It also offers fun amenities such as a café, outdoor grill and pizza oven and spaces to celebrate with family or invite the card club over just like residents did at home.
The Reeses say that as Briarfield builds new senior care centers, it uses the same plans, suppliers and contractors, who know what they expect. And they use suggestions made by residents and staff at other locations to adjust and improve.
EDM operates eight facilities in the Mahoning Valley and is partnering with the Ursuline Sisters of Youngstown to transition part of its motherhouse on Shields Road into assisted living. EDM has another large project under construction in Columbiana.
More Beds on the Way
EDM is building the Inn at Old Saybrook in Columbiana, which is expected to open in October. It will have 79 units – 50 of which will be assisted living apartments and 29 will be reserved for memory care.
“We’ve found that model has worked out extremely well for us at a couple of our other facilities,” says Ed Reese. “We are splitting the memory care into two units, a male and a female unit.”
The Inn at Old Saybrook’s amenities will include 24-hour nursing care, fine dining, housekeeping and laundry, activities and recreation, transportation for appointments, a beauty facility for hair and nails, and physician visits on site.
With more than 40 years of experience each in senior health care and both with gerontology degrees, the Reeses regularly visit their facilities and greet staff and patients.
“I feel like our biggest asset is our kind and compassionate staff, who come in and volunteer, even when they’re not working, for special events and for birthday parties for our residents,” says Diana Reese.
While assisted living facilities do not have the same bed-count requirements, part of what makes it difficult to build right now is a lack of financing options.
Ed Reese believes banks don’t see senior living as a good investment. The Inn at Old Saybrook was only made possible through a long relationship with Premier Bank and tax incentives through the city of Columbiana and the Western Reserve Port Authority.
Shepherd Salem Project
Another large project in the planning stages is Shepherd of the Valley’s independent and assisted living center on a 34-acre property off U.S. Route 62 at North Ellsworth Avenue in Salem.
Rich Limongi, CEO of Shepherd of the Valley, says the project came about after a very thorough market study. Shepherd was accepting proposals from architects for the project in July and Limongi anticipates ground will be broken in the second quarter of 2025 with the project built in phases.
Plans include about 46 independent living condominiums, similar to Shepherd’s offerings in Howland and Poland. These allow residents to come and go as they please while providing services such as landscaping, trash and snow removal. Limongi says these units will be a “little more affordable,” not subsidized, but more for someone seeking a one- or two-bedroom apartment.
Additionally, he says Shepherd is planning to build three small ranch-style assisted living homes, which would house 12 people apiece. There, residents would benefit from someone who can provide direct care, serve meals and provide light housekeeping.
Although the start of the Salem project is more than a year away, Limongi says there is great interest.
“We’re getting calls all the time,” Limongi says. “People grew up in Salem and they want to remain in Salem. They don’t want to go to other parts of Columbiana (County) or come into Youngstown… We’re super excited about it.”
Windsor Diversifies
Windsor House, headquartered in Girard, is currently doubling the size of its short-term rehabilitation unit in Champion, according to Dan Rowland, director of marketing. Additionally, Windsor House, which operates 12 nursing facilities and five assisted living options in the area, is in the process of updating many centers, catching up on projects that could not be completed during the pandemic, as well as creating additional private-room space.
“We have right-sized some of our nursing homes to meet this demand of people wanting private rooms,” Rowland says, adding its Canfield facility is already all private rooms and eight out of 11 of its facilities have transitioned.
In addition to private rooms, Windsor is focusing on meeting the needs for certain other services. New units are being created that provide specialized care. For instance, Windsor’s Guardian Health Care Center on Belmont Avenue has a dedicated unit for wound care with more than 20 private rooms. O’Brien Memorial Health Care Center in Masury is evolving from having one dementia care unit to having separate units for male and female patients.
Shepherd of the Valley also is creating niche services such as a 12-bed inpatient dialysis center at its Boardman campus, which cuts down on the transportation and wait time for patients, giving them more hours to enjoy each day.
The Liberty campus of Shepherd has an eight-bed ventilator unit. And the memory care unit at that location is creating a memory care garden with some raised beds, water fountains and comfortable seating to allow residents the enjoyment of fresh air while still in a safely enclosed area.
“You’re starting to see facilities try to diversify a little bit,” Limongi says, “just to try to meet the other demands that are out in the market.”
Technology, Lifestyle
In addition to beautiful spaces and services to fit their personal needs, residents want access to amenities and technology.
Windsor House’s Rowland says residents today expect access to Wi-Fi, television and telephone in their room.
Through grant money, Shepherd recently purchased two interactive programs. One is a virtual reality goggles program, Rendever, which simulates visiting places overseas, riding on a rollercoaster or even taking a stroll through a resident’s old neighborhood.
Another program, IN2L, provides digital enrichment activities such as crosswords and brainteaser games.
Residents at Briarfield assisted living centers can often be seen using Briarfield transportation to attend Scrappers and Phantoms games, their grandchildren’s high school events, events at the Butler Institute of American Art and productions at the Youngstown Playhouse, where they have a box office sponsor, Dr. John Cox.
“We actually see them flourish when they move in,” says Diane Reese, noting that socialization improves health. “They reunite with old classmates or neighbors, and they really begin to flourish.”
The Reeses agree that the best part is when new residents begin considering this their new home, requesting a relative “take them home” after a family outing.
“The elderly know they’re elderly, so there’s no surprises there. They just want to be taken care of and respected and that’s what we’re going to do,” says Ed Reese.
One way to make it more of a home is the privacy of doorbells, he continues. “Instead of knocking on the door, just a little thing like that makes it more homelike. Makes it more respectful,” Reese says.
“The line I get from residents moving into assisted living – I wish I would’ve done this three years ago,” Diane Reese says. They had no idea it was like this, and they feel a sense of relief and a sense of security because their family is not with them 24/7.”
Rowland says with so many Windsor locations, sometimes they are competing against themselves. But location is a priority for some, who want to be close to family members.
“I always tell people, there are some beautiful nursing homes in our area,” Rowland says, “and I’m not just speaking of Windsor House. But when I speak with people about how to choose a nursing home, you can’t judge a book by its cover. Just because it looks nice on the outside, it may not be as nice on the inside. What I mean is from the staffing standpoint. So, go inside and see what your experiences are.”
Diane Reese notes when people inquire, she encourages them to visit several assisted living or senior care centers.
“Because as soon as you walk into a facility, you get a feel and they need to see that and see if this is where their loved one would feel comfortable,” she says.
Pictured at top: Ed and Diane Reese, CEO and president respectively, are the founders of EDM Management Inc., which will soon open its 10th senior care center.