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Marilyn McClain and Genny Straughan enjoy lunch together at Stevenson Oaks June 16. (Ash Petrie | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\nGathered around a table, four women laughed and shared stories as if they\u2019d been friends since childhood, even though they met four years ago.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Stevenson Oaks independent living residents Barbara Coffey, Marilyn McClain, Genny Straughan and Shelby Whiteley discussed topics such as their card game group and who went to the pool that morning.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we first moved in, the rule we all established was you walk up to any table and say, \u2018May I sit here?\u2019\u201d Coffey said.<\/p>\n
While it\u2019s not unusual for them to be silly and joke with each other over lunch, this Tuesday was a particularly special occasion.<\/p>\n
The residents celebrated the groundbreaking ceremony on June 16 for The Lodge, North Texas\u2019 first household-modeled skilled nursing community. A skilled nursing facility provides specialized care and rehabilitation services to elders with complex medical needs.<\/p>\n
Marilyn McClain and Genny Straughan enjoy lunch together at Stevenson Oaks June 16. (Ash Petrie | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n
Alan Brown, President and CEO of Methodist Retirement Communities, said many Fort Worth individuals in need of this type of care are in hospital rooms right now separated from others by a curtain or stuck inside nursing homes without freedom.<\/p>\n
\u201c[People] find themselves living in an environment where they are known by their diagnosis instead of the people they have always been,\u201d Brown said. \u201cIdentity is lost, and their routine is determined by staff for their convenience.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Lodge is an addition to Stevenson Oaks, a nonprofit community run by Methodist Retirement Communities that provides independent, assisted and memory-care living for people 62 and older. Some start in independent living and transition to assisted living, but after their move they\u2019re not restricted from attending community activities.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sitting next to Brown was Larry Beck, who purchased an air hockey table for grandkids visiting Stevenson Oaks residents. Turns out even when the grandkids aren\u2019t there, residents enjoy smacking the puck around in somewhat friendly competitions, too.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I go with my family, I\u2019m the oldest. I act the oldest. I\u2019m treated as the oldest, and it pisses me off,\u201d Beck said. \u201cHere, I don\u2019t have certain expectations. I could be as silly or as dumb when I want.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Residents of Stevenson Oaks bow their heads as they are led in prayer by Chaplain Shane Barnes. (Ash Petrie | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n
The Lodge will change how elders needing ongoing care will receive it, Brown said. Instead of hospital beds and sheer white curtains, this new community will feature 24 private rooms and a dining hall. Residents will be able to choose their own schedule and menu.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you want to get up at nine o\u2019clock and have bacon and eggs and a cup of coffee, you can do that, and your medical needs are still met,\u201d Brown said.<\/p>\n
As a retired nurse practitioner, Stevenson Oaks independent resident Trish Goller knows the horrors of traditional nursing homes. Residents there are typically told what to do and when to do it, which wouldn\u2019t work for her because she enjoys swimming in the pool before the sun rises.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis concept of having a home instead of an institution is just a wonderful idea,\u201d Goller said. \u201cYou get to be who you are and not just a number.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Assisted living resident Carol Deatherage sits with her fianc\u00e9 Warren Rowland and nurse Sharoya Tobias during the communities groundbreaking ceremony for The Lodge on June 16. (Ash Petrie | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n
Making sure assisted living resident Carol Deatherage was comfortable in her chair during the ceremony was her nurse, Sharoya Tobias. She helps Deatherage with physical activities such as getting around, showering and changing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMiss Carol, she\u2019s quite independent,\u201d Tobias said smiling as Deatherage fixed her shirt. \u201c(Other facilities) pretty much tell us what the resident is going to do and they don\u2019t have a choice in the matter. Here, they have a choice, and it\u2019s much better.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Remembering when her parents were in assisted living is what made Straughan\u2019s choice difficult when deciding where she wanted to go, she said. The other woman around the table agreed.<\/p>\n
Straughan almost decided on a facility in Dallas. However, when her daughter brought Stevenson Oaks to her attention, she signed up right away and said she hasn\u2019t regretted her decision.<\/p>\n
McClain said moving into independent living is scary, but being socially active positively affects elders’ mental and physical health by removing so many stressors. For her, The Lodge expands the community\u2019s reach to elders needing medical assistance and friends to sit around a table with.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe’re kind of inventing what our culture is going to be,\u201d McClain said. \u201cThere is an atmosphere of respect and cooperation. I call it the sweet spirit.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Marilyn McClain, an independent living resident at Stevenson Oaks, laughs while enjoying lunch with her friends. (Ash Petrie | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n
Ash Petrie is a reporting fellow for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at ash@fortworthreport.org.<\/p>\n