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New memory care facility opening soon

Completion is drawing near for a new memory care facility located at 1124 Sunset Drive in Vandalia.
Willowbrook Development of Teutopolis began construction in July on this 12-unit memory care house.
Willowbrook Management Inc. of Effingham will provide management oversight to the Vandalia campus. Kaye Kibler, president and primary owner of Willowbrook Management, chose Vandalia as a positive site for such services because there is somewhat of a gap between Southern Illinois and South Central Illinois when it comes to specialized memory care at an assisted living level.
Willowbrook Management Inc. has been operating dementia houses since 2013.
Willowbrook Management takes an innovative and unique approach to providing care for those individuals who are affected by memory disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia related illnesses.
For people with dementia their home must provide a feeling of comfort and well-being. The environment of the home should be as non-restrictive as safely possible while providing a secure haven for those who can’t remember.
“We did many hours of research before designing a floor plan that was conducive to the needs of our residents,” Kibler said.
“Each house will provide 24-hour safe and secure services for 12-14 residents at a time. Willowbrook maintains that by keeping the resident population low, staff can provide the much-needed one-on-one interaction that they so often need with this disease.
“It is anticipated that a second house will be added to the campus in the next year or so,” Kibler said.
“Part of the uniqueness of the Willowbrook focus and philosophy is within the program itself. We celebrate each resident’s abilities, rather than concentrate on their disabilities. Willowbrook supports the individual residents continued need to have purpose in life.
“This disease robs the individual of so much, but one desire that continues to be had by all humans is to have purpose each day,” Kibler said.
“We give the resident the ability to still be a part of making small but important decisions each day. We never take a resident’s ability for granted. We give them opportunities to be a part of the decision when able,” she said.
Staff are trained specific to providing care for those with dementia. On-going training is also required and provided to staff on a regular basis throughout the year.
Willowbrook will be staffed with licensed nursing staff around the clock as well as certified nursing staff throughout the 24-hour period.
Certified and licensed staff is crucial around the clock when providing this type of specialized care at an assisted living level.
Willowbrook of Vandalia will be licensed by the Illinois Department of Public Health and receive an annual survey to maintain licensure.
Services provided to residents will include medication management by licensed nursing staff, private suites with private baths, assistance with activities in daily living, individualized health/well-being plans, family support and education and housekeeping/laundry services.
For more information on Willowbrook or dementia care, contact Kibler at 1-217-821-0779 or Brenda Winskill, LNHA, CDP vice president of operations, at 1-217-246-0689.
 

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