Articles
Good Neighbor Care Comes To Washington
Washington, Ill. - July 23, 2008
Washington will soon be able to offer an
additional choice in senior care with the construction of an assisted
living community managed by Good Neighbor Care of Eugene, Ore.
Good Neighbor representatives and Washington officials joined to break ground on the yet unnamed new building Tuesday afternoon.
Until then, crews have been preparing the lot, located in St. Clare
Plaza, between OSF Saint Clare and South Side Bank on Route 24 at
Cummings Lane.
Ken Hodge, communications coordinator with Wilkinson Corp., said
Wilkinson is in charge of developing the community, and Good Neighbor
Care will take care of management.
Jessyca Lewis, with Good Neighbor Care, said GNC is in charge of hiring, marketing and running the community.
“The two companies work together,” she said.
Wilkinson did a demographic analysis of Washington and the surrounding
area, Hodge said, adding that they looked at the number of seniors and
a look at projections of the senior population based on population
numbers in each age group.
Wilkinson looks for areas with steady population and economic growth, in addition to average household income.
Hodge said Wilkinson tends to build close to medical facilities in an effort to better care for senior community residents.
The new two-story Good Neighbor Care community will boast 62 units with
10-foot ceilings, kitchenettes, private baths and wall-to-wall
carpeting.
Hodge said residents will be able to enjoy a fitness center with spa,
movie theater, TV room, activity room with a kitchen, dining room for
when residents do not want to cook, fireplace, all-season porch and a
gazebo in the courtyard.
Lewis said the building will also have a beauty parlor, café/ice cream
parlor that is similar to a bistro and a game room with card tables and
a pool table.
The community will have a nursing staff and activity directors to provide quality care, Lewis said.
Washington’s building is an exact replica of Good Neighbor Care of
Sterling, Lewis said, adding that both Grand Victorian of Rockford and
Grand Victorian of Sycamore also have the same design.
Construction is expected to be completed around mid-2009; however,
Hodge said the company does not want to commit to an opening date
because of construction delays caused by bad weather.
Good Neighbor Care was established in 1987 and originally managed a
small memory care community for residents who suffered from memory loss
because of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.
The company now manages 49 communities (51 with the addition of
Washington and Pekin) offering independent and assisted living and
memory care services to seniors.
Lewis said the new community in Washington will provide 25 to 35 new jobs for the area.
