BROOKINGS Theres a new option for residents in and around Brookings who might want to spend their retirement years and beyond closer to family, friends and community and thats Peaceful Pines Senior Living, which recently opened in Brookings.
The new senior living community, 900 20th St. S., offers 108 units in total; of those, 42 are independent living apartments, 39 are assisted living suites and 27 are memory care units. That said, its not just living space thats provided.
We have an on-site salon where residents can get their hair done. We also have a fitness room where residents can use our gym, Autumn Cogdill, Peaceful Pines Senior Living executive director, told the Brookings Register. They also have the option to use therapy services we have physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy that can be done in-house here. We have a theater room, we have our pub area, we have our outside garden area.
She said the community gardens, once set up in spring, will include raised beds, a plot for corn and a patch for pumpkins. Beyond that, residents will be central in determining other amenities via monthly resident council meetings.
Were really going to be asking them, What do you guys want to see going forward? Cogdill emphasized.
Peaceful Pines also provides diabetic and hospice care for its residents, services that arent particularly commonplace in many senior communities.
Were proud of the fact that we see the entire resident and not just whatever illness they have, or what is affecting them, Dylan Kessler said. Hes the vice president of senior living at Brookings-headquartered HME Care, the management company backing Peaceful Pines Senior Living. We focus on their abilities, whether theyre in independent living and go golfing three times a week or in our memory care community and are living with dementia.
With the Brookings location it joins other Peaceful Pines sites in Huron (opened in September), Rapid City, Milbank, Madison, Fort Pierre and Spearfish (opened in June) comes a lot of anticipation and ambitions.
Im really looking forward to being able to offer these services, Cogdill said. Ive been doing this line of work for five years now and so Ive seen in Brookings County the shortages that we have of bed availability when it comes to assisted living and memory care services.
She noted that in her past experience shes seen families that have had to move their loved ones out of state because no care was available locally.
Our goal is that we can provide a continuum of care where if you start with us in independent living and you start maybe needing some care as time goes on, well, we are able to provide that in-house here, Cogdill said. The fact that we also do hospice services in our building, our goal is truly that we have people with us throughout their whole life span here at Peaceful Pines.
Staffers praised
Staff, naturally, play a critical role in helping the Peaceful Pines community function smoothly, and that certainly wasnt lost on Cogdill or Kessler.
Our building is beautiful, but it really is just a building, Kessler said. We have great staff, though. Its the staff that really make it a community that make the real product there. With our staff, we really have something special.
Cogdill said the experience the staff has adds up to about 200 combined years. She added that the senior communitys two registered nurses Anna Tellekson (director of nursing) and Stephanie Vlaminck (assistant director of nursing) are certified dementia practitioners and both have spent their entire careers in geriatric care.
Were just very blessed to have the team that we do and having the leadership that we do head that up, she finished.
Besides experience, ongoing education is another big reason for the staffs excellence. This includes, Kessler said, dementia simulation training so staffers can better understand what residents are going through and adjust their engagement and care accordingly.
That makes a big difference making sure that we focus on supporting our staff so they can focus on loving our residents, Kessler said.
Pricing factors
Costs are one of the factors people weigh when it comes to a lot of things in life, and thats no different when it comes to deciding where to live. Peaceful Pines has several pricing tiers, depending on what a resident needs or wants, and also works with long-term care insurance and other types of aid, including assistance thats linked to U.S. military veterans.
Cogdill said independent living, one-bedroom units are $2,800 per month, while the two-bedroom option runs $3,800 per month. She encouraged people to come in and tour and visit, noting that the independent living options include two hot meals per day, transportation services, and a social environment that includes activities, events and outings.
When it comes to assisted living, prices increase, with room and board starting at $4,800 per month. Over in memory care, the mid-range price is $8,100 per month, with rates starting at $6,500 per month.
Cogdill pointed out that, additionally, the facilitys registered nurses, Tellekson and Vlaminck, perform an assessment when residents first arrive for assisted and memory care to see what the residents needs are that the facility can help provide, which also plays a role in what the residents cost per month would be.
There are options on how to pay and different solutions out there. Thats something that our staff can help anyone interested work through, Kessler added, noting that the facility has a full-time sales director on site who can give tours and provide other assistance. We recognize that this is a big decision and its a complicated decision, too. There are a lot of details involved with making a move, and certainly a lot of details involved in making a move to a community like this.
Well-regarded city
Multiple factors drew Peaceful Pines to build in Brookings, including residents desires for, well, more housing options to select from.
Brookings is such a dynamic and vibrant community. It has such a unique identity within the state that it really was a no-brainer to put a community here, Kessler said. On top of that, weve received so many comments from people that they wish they had a senior living community within Brookings that was what they really envisioned for the next generation of senior living.
Cogdill said Peaceful Pines also encourages community involvement in its facilities, noting that any groups interested in doing so can call 605-697-3900. She also reiterated the importance placed on residents well-being, including the CarePredict service used in the senior living facility.
The device, Cogdill explained, is worn like a watch and serves as the call system for residents. Its abilities include real-time information tracking for things such as location in the building, fall detection and biometric readings (aka predictive health analytics). The app is also available to families.
Especially with memory care residents, they cant always tell us whats wrong, Kessler said. You can look at the dashboard and say, Well, it looks like they have a fever. Their heart rate is elevated. So we can catch things, even sometimes before theyre able to tell us whats going on. Its really cool technology.
In closing, Cogdill and Kessler once again emphasized their priorities.
I love making families feel secure that if theyre on a vacation, that their loved one is taken care of and they dont have to worry about it, Cogdill said. Its such a true thing that I dont think a lot of people think about to have that peace of mind that your loved one is going to be OK.
Kessler concurred. At the end of the day, thats one of our jobs is to love people, he said.
Contact Mondell Keck at [email protected].
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