Modern Senior Living

November 2009

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Assisted living is a modern residential concept where those who can no longer live safely and productively in an independent setting, due to cognitive or physical impairment, can find a purpose-built community to support their needs. Most assisted living communities offer help with the activities of daily living, dining services, transportation and activities, but occasionally we discover a place that sets itself apart in its very definition.

CaraVita Senior Care is the company of experienced professionals that manages Woodland Ridge Assisted living in Smyrna. Ga. Based on the initial concept of providing assistance to those who cannot live independently (but do not need ongoing medical supervision), the mission to provide excellence in person-centered care was clear.

For more than 25 years, CaraVita has been dedicated to the fulfillment of its name. Cara is defined as "Friend" in Irish Gaelic. In Latin, it is defined as "Life". Vita is the expression of ones "life story". Recognition of the individual life stories of each resident and it is also the story of Woodland Ridge.

The CaraVita "Friends for Life" program is designed as a person-centered care philosophy. The #1 mission of each staff member at Woodland Ridge is to come to understand each resident as an individual; their personality, their needs, their dreams, their likes and dislikes, as the manifestation of their own personal "Life Story". The commitment to successful interactions and outcomes drives every aspect of daily life within Woodland Ridge. Quality of Life is seen as a continuous stream of “meaningful moments” with Friends who care for you and about you.

The centerpiece of Woodland Ridge’s "Friends for Life" program is a proprietary software system developed to monitor each resident. Executive Director, Valoree Ham-Goines explains, “From medication management and other personal services to history and ongoing medical assessments, technology provides tools to track every aspect of the care we provide our residents. Our caregivers can use hand-held or desktop computers to assess, monitor and document current-moment responses to our residents’ needs. This gives us the ability to communicate effectively with our residents, their families, and their medical teams on the changes we encounter while providing daily care. The documentation helps us better serve our clients.”

Another important aspect to the "Friends for Life" program is the concept of "Enriched Living." "Understanding the whole person allows us to create successful encounters throughout the day for each resident", sites Carrie Springer, the Director of Marketing Services at Woodland Ridge. "Before someone moves in, we do an exhaustive interview with the resident, their family or sponsor, their medical team, and others. If someone is a retired schoolteacher, we will want to make sure they meet other teachers. If they are a religious person, we want to make the connection to other residents who share their beliefs as well as to a local church in the area. It is all about understanding what constitutes quality-of-life for that individual and creating opportunities for them to pursue that."

For those with memory impairment, the essence of the individual is not lost, only the short-term memory, to varying degrees, is compromised. A person who has always been athletic and loves sports will still enjoy connecting with others through sports and the religious person is always going to find joy and comfort in their connection with God. The Enriched Living concept facilitates those connections to enrich the daily experiences of each individual through person-centered care.

(Excerpt from November 2009 - Modern Senior Living magazine)

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