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Groundbreaking Ushers in the Grandview at Benefis

By Rachel Ousley

Story Created: Aug 30, 2011 at 4:51 PM MST

Story Updated: Aug 30, 2011 at 5:18 PM MST

This is the first Continuing Care Retirement Community in north-central Montana. It’s a 42 acre project with a total of 204 senior housing units. There will be 77 independent living apartments, 15 independent living free-standing houses, 48 assisted living apartments, 16 memory support apartments, and three skilled nursing cottages. Each cottage will have 16 private rooms.

Janie Echolson and her husband have been involved in the planning of this project since the beginning when Benefis sent out questionnaires. The Echolsons chose this site because it gives people a wide variety of options in one setting after they move out of their homes. She says it’s important, “to have all the other options available to you, whether it’s independent living, assisted living, or whatever may come down the road”.

Echolson believes too many seniors wait until the last minute to plan on where to spend the remainder of their golden years. That's why she jumped on this opportunity. She, her husband, and their dog will be moving into one of the independent living houses when everything is finished in 2014. She's excited to have more time for the things they love to do. One of the advantages to making this move will be she won’t have to work so hard and do chores like shoveling snow and yard work.

With so many different living options, it seems like there's something for everyone. Benefis hopes this community will provide seniors with independence and peace of mind. Frank Soltys is the Chief Administration Officer for Senior Services at Benefis. He says this new community will free the elderly from everyday duties, while allowing them to do the activities they have always wanted to do.

Instead of being modeled after a typical care facility, this community is designed to make living arrangements more resident focused. Soltys explains in “traditional long term nursing homes a lot of work is designed around tasks, getting things done where this model is really designed around the resident and developing relationships with residents”.

Part of this involves consistent staffing where nurses will be assigned to the same patients. That way they can learn their likes and dislikes while developing individualized care plans. Sue Warren is one of the nurses that will be working at the new community. She says, “they are consistently involved with the same group of patients and that’s what makes that household a home”. She's excited about this new option becoming reality. She says, “as a nurse, it’s sort of in our blood to be directed and challenged to change the lives of the people we care for”.

Construction on this first phase will begin any day now and should be completed in the middle of 2013. The second phase should start later next year. The entire project should be finished mid 2014.

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