The Villas of Guérin Woods to offer unique assisted living options
Numerous dignitaries share groundbreaking duties for The Villas at Guérin Woods on Sept. 18. From left are Stephen Smith, director of the Division on Aging of the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration; New Albany Mayor James Garner; Georgetown resident Scyble Payne; Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman; and Providence Sister Barbara Ann Zeller, president of Guérin Inc. (Photo by Patricia Happel Cornwell)
By Patricia Happel Cornwell (Special to The Criterion)
GEORGETOWN—Mary Mangeot was one of several persons who spoke to the crowd on a hot September afternoon at groundbreaking ceremonies for The Villas of Guérin Woods. The $2 million project will create two homes, one dedicated to assisted living and one to comprehensive nursing care, on the 28-acre Georgetown campus of Guérin Inc.
The 84-year-old resident of Lanesville called the development “a dream come true.” She has already chosen her room in the assisted living villa from the blueprints.
During the Sept. 18 groundbreaking ceremony, Mangeot pointed her cane at the concrete foundation behind her and said, “I can show you exactly where my room is going to be. I made up my mind to be first on the list.”
She is the first of 29 senior residents from Floyd County and the neighboring region on the waiting list for the villas.
Each 7,100-square-foot, state-licensed home will accommodate only 10 “elders” and have eight permanent staff members. The atmosphere will be more intimate than that of large elder-care institutions, project planners said. Residents will furnish and decorate their own bedrooms and private baths, but share a family-style kitchen, dining and living room areas.
Providence Sister Barbara Ann Zeller, president of Guérin Inc., said the goal of the villas is to “be home, not homelike.” Sister Barbara said the villas reflect “the elder culture change that is sweeping our country.”
Stephen Smith, director of the Division on Aging of the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, called the unique project a potential model for future elder housing projects for the state.
Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman said, “seniors are the fastest growing segment of the population.” She said the state is seeking “housing options for Hoosiers to maintain independence in their later years.”
Skillman has oversight of the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority, which is providing most of the funding for the two homes. Other major funding comes from the Paul W. Ogle Foundation.
Guérin Inc., a not-for-profit corporation, was established in 1999 to construct facilities for Providence House for Children at Georgetown.
The Guérin Inc. property on State Road 64 was originally 12.5 acres, but when Georgetown resident Scyble Payne told Sister Barbara that adjacent acreage was for sale, Sister Barbara immediately sought and obtained archdiocesan approval for the expansion.
Applicants for the new villas must be 62 years or older and go through state pre-admission screening done locally by LifeSpan. Prospective residents are those who require some assistance with activities of daily living, such as meal preparation or taking medications.
Other facilities on the Guérin campus include Providence House for Children at Georgetown, which serves as a home for abused and neglected children, six apartments for participants in the Family Reunification and Preservation Program, 22 two-bedroom apartments for older persons with limited incomes, a 4,000-square-foot senior center open to all senior citizens in Floyd County and the surrounding area, an office building and an administrative residence.
The campus and villas are named for St. Theodora Guérin, foundress of the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. The villas are expected to be ready for occupancy in May 2008. †
