Residents moving into new areas at the Commons

A ribbon-cutting ceremony at The Commons on March 29 featured (left to right) Stephanie Handelson, president and COO of Benchmark Senior Living; Benchmark Executive Director Chris Golen, Dr. Laurie Tolman, a resident of The Commons; Tom Grape, founder and CEO of Benchmark; and Lt. Governor Karyn Polito. See more photos below.

The new assisted nursing, skilled nursing and memory care units at The Commons are open for business and accepting at least one new resident every day.

The units opened to residents on April 1. As of earlier this week, 27 residents had moved into assisted living, which has a capacity of 40, while eight of the 40 beds in skilled nursing were occupied, according to Executive Director Chris Golen. By the end of May, 32 of the 40 assisted-living units should be occupied, and the memory care section (which has a capacity of 32) should be full in about a year, Golen said.

A handful of residents in the newly opened areas came over from the independent living units at The Commons but the rest are from other facilities or homes, Golen said.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony in late March marked the completion of  changes instituted by Benchmark Senior Living, which purchased The Commons (formerly called The Groves) after the facility filed for bankruptcy in 2013. The Groves was never able to fill more than about half of its 168 independent living units, and many felt that this was because it did not offer a “continuum of care” for residents who eventually needed more help with things like mobility, memory care, and day-to-day activities such as cooking and dressing.

Construction on the new areas began in July 2014, “and things really started taking off at the end of that year” for purchases of independent-living units, Golen said. As of late April, the main Russell Building was 100 percent full, while the cottages and the Flint Building on the north side of the campus had a total of about 17 units left, he said.

Among the offerings in the new areas are lounges with large Roku-equipped flat-screen TVs; dining rooms serving three meals a day (though the assisted living units also have kitchenettes); hair salons with manicure/pedicure stations and spa tubs; and a physical therapy suite that operates seven days a week. Patients can receive outpatient therapy there even if they don’t live at The Commons. “I think that’s going to be a big attraction for us,” Golen said.

All caregivers in the new areas at The Commons now have iPhones connected to a wireless security system that allows them to see the location of all patients, who wear GPS-enabled emergency pendants. This is for increased safety as well as the convenience of visitors who arrive to find their relatives away from their rooms.

Residents who’ve purchased independent living units at The Commons can move into assisted living or skilled nursing at no extra cost. Others must pay a nonrefundable entrance fee plus rent starting at $5,500 a month, Golen said in December 2014. Skilled nursing beds are also available for short-term rehabilitation patients coming from hospitals or homes.

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