Now Open: Dudley Square patio homes in Louisville's Graymoor-Devondale area.

Episcopal Church Home finished implementing its Master Plan in 2023, a significant step that made care for residents of the retirement campus even more person-centered.

The Master Plan positioned the Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC), which includes patio homes for older adults who live independently, for success well into the future.

As a CCRC, it also offers all levels of care, including skilled nursing, long-term care, personal care, and memory-support personal care. 

Campus includes all levels of care, plus completely independent living

The 22-acre campus in Louisville’s suburban Graymoor-Devondale area underwent a significant transformation after a careful evaluation of the needs and desires of the latest generations of older adults and their families.

The $20 million in Master Plan upgrades included 25 completely modern Dudley Square III patio homes, which joined 62 existing ones on the 143-year-old campus. The last of the 25 new patio homes sold in July.

RELATED BLOG: MASTER PLAN CREATES A NEW VIBE AND BEGINNING FOR PERSONAL CARE AT EPISCOPAL CHURCH HOME

Beverly Edwards, Episcopal Retirement Services’ vice president of residential healthcare, said the upgrades’ most significant outcome is the increased holistic care to nursing-home residents.

“In addition to the absolutely beautiful aesthetics of our community, the most meaningful change is the manner in which we care for our residents,” Edwards said.

Very person-centered care

Accompanying the creation of attractive apartments for nursing-home residents was the change in the way ECH team members care for residents. The addition of ‘versatile workers’ – individuals who provide not only nursing for their residents, but also housekeeping, daily enrichment activities and serving of meals – has increased the quality and depth of relationships between team members and residents, Edwards said.

“Having staff provide care for a smaller number of residents while meeting their care needs allows them to spend time with one another and develop meaningful relationships,” she added. 

“For over 140 years, our residents have received outstanding care and services,” Edwards said. “The Master Plan has allowed us to continue our tradition of offering excellent care and services to those we currently serve, and those we will serve in the future.”

When you live independently in the Dudley Square patio homes on the Episcopal Church Home campus, you can throw private parties in the Clubhouse with gorgeous foods like this.

“For over 140 years, our residents have received outstanding care and services,” Edwards said. “The Master Plan has allowed us to continue our tradition of offering excellent care and services to those we currently serve, and those we will serve in the future.”

Hospitable adjustments

ERS President and CEO Laura Lamb said the Master Plan analysis was difficult work that allowed significant steps forward for the ECH campus as it affiliated with the rest of the ERS organization.

“It is magnificent because Episcopal Church Home hadn’t master-planned like our other communities have, so it’s really their first Master Plan, which makes it momentous in the history of ECH and ERS, for that matter.”

She listed three advances under the plan:

• A certain number of independent-living residents is needed to support a CCRC campus, and the addition of patio homes brought ECH to that level.
• The campus now has a state-of-the-art neighborhood for those needing assistance with daily activities, with comfortable, apartment-style living for Personal Care services in Lyndon House.
• ECH now has an appropriate amount of skilled nursing care for residents who are cognitively impaired, as well as those who aren’t.

RELATED BLOG: ECH NAMED BEST LOUISVILLE-AREA NURSING HOME 

Lamb thanked ECH team members and other professionals who made the transformation happen.

“It wasn’t easy work, but thanks to the board of Episcopal Church Home, and thanks to our (ERS) board, and the committees that worked on it, they created a bold vision that will allow ECH to be sustainable long into the future,” Lamb said.

Meanwhile, Edwards thanked the Greater Louisville community for voting ECH the Best Nursing Home in The Courier-Journal’s 'Official Community’s Choice Awards.'

“We are honored to receive such a prestigious distinction.  ECH has been providing outstanding care and services to our community for over 140 years,” Edwards said. “We look forward to continuing to offer excellent care and services to community members well into the future.”

Click below to learn about Memory Care at Episcopal Church Home.

To schedule a tour of other parts of the Episcopal Church Home retirement community, contact Gry Seymour at (502) 396-8987 or by email at gseymour@erslife.org..