Turning the gold shovels at the May groundbreaking celebration: Philip S. Poindexter, President of Stock Yards Bank & Trust; Rob King, Board Chair, Episcopal Church Home; ERS President and CEO Laura Lamb; The Rt. Rev. Terry Allen White, Bishop, Diocese of Kentucky; and Brian Gruber of Ridge Stone Builders & Developers

Episcopal Retirement Services (ERS) recently offered a glimpse at the transformation into its new vision for Episcopal Church Home in Louisville, Ky.

It is close to opening a new Personal Care household called Lyndon House, which will feature larger apartments than traditionally are available in Personal Care communities. The campus also will include 25 new patio homes, in the Dudley Square area, for seniors who can live independently. More than half the houses already have been sold.

Because the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the event by two years, this particular groundbreaking also provided an unveiling of improvements that have been made during that time.

New designs for the future

ERS President and CEO Laura Lamb proudly shared progress at ECH through the past two years, despite the pandemic, labor challenges, supply shortages and rising inflation.

ECH a few years ago created a new Master Plan for ECH, and now is implementing it.

“At that time, we had a healthcare building that had seen its better days and reached the end of its useful life,” Lamb said at the ceremony.

After researching a lot of data, “we shared a bold vision to reimagine the campus for its current and future residents,” she said. “Our goal was to create more intimate, person-centered healthcare households that meet consumer preferences and will be supported with dynamic programming and therapies as well as more independent-living homes.”

Rob King, chairman of Episcopal Church Home, said changes to buildings will create an upgrade for the person-centered care residents will receive.

“The design lends itself to building relationships rather than the institutional model of the 1970s in which our original healthcare building was created,” King said. “While it was the best-in-class in the 70s, it was time for the model to change.”

Renovated Morton House

In the first phase of the transformation, the Morton House was renovated.

In its skilled-nursing wing, now known as the Clingman neighborhood, there now are 13 rooms for those living with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia and 13 rooms for those with physical challenges.

The other side of the Morton House, now called Marmion, already had been renovated. It has 26 rooms dedicated to memory care. Episcopal Church Home also opened its new dining concept, Grille 75, which features some local Kentucky favorite dishes. There also is a new gift shop for residents and visitors.

Lyndon House, the Personal Care household

The Lyndon House household soon will open to provide services that in Kentucky are known as Personal Care, which help seniors who need extra help moving around and taking care of their bodies.

What is Personal Care in Kentucky?

Lyndon House will feature larger apartments than traditionally have been offered in Personal Care.

“We have a mix of one-bedroom, alcoves, and studios that together with our common spaces will be wonderful areas to call home,” Lamb said at the event.

Episcopal Church Home will provide a person-centered approach in its skilled nursing and memory-care neighborhoods, fostering “meaningful relationships between staff and fellow residents and allowing residents to live their daily lives with freedom, choice, and purpose as they normally do would in their previous home,” she said.

Dudley Square patio homes

For people who live independently, ERS is building 25 new patio homes that will be available by late summer. More than half already have been purchased.

These beautiful, open-concept homes feature two bedrooms with two bathrooms, plus two-car garages and many modern features.

The houses will include plenty of storage options throughout the house, quartz countertops, and high-end appliances. 

“The patio homes are a nice addition to the floor plans we already have at Dudley Square,” said Bryan Reynolds, vice president of marketing and public relations for ERS. The new homes “have nice, open floor plans and lots of room.”

“They will feature some wonderful views of our new amenity garden that is designed to engage residents.”

“More than half are sold,” Reynolds said. “There’s only 25, and they’re going quick. People are coming in every day and inquiring about them.”

ERS President and CEO Laura Lamb with Beverly Edwards, ERS Vice President of Residential Healthcare pictured near the entrance of the New Lyndon House Personal Care Building at Episcopal Church Home.

A more beautiful vision

“If there’s one thing I’d like you to take away from this celebration, it’s the vision we collectively came together for the new ECH,” Lamb told an audience of more than 100.

Residents will enjoy the activities and events throughout the day, experience a gracious dining experience, and use state-of-the-art wellness equipment. 

More than that, “They will feel a sense of warmth and community even before they arrive,” Lamb said. “Once on the campus, they’ll see it at every turn – the friendly staff and residents, beautiful surroundings, landscaping, and many personal touches that make it home.”

“Imagine a care setting where residents receive the highest quality of care and are encouraged to take charge of their day and make their own decisions — all delivered in a comfortable household setting,” Lamb added.

“ECH is taking the institution out of its long-term skilled nursing and personal care settings and will change everything for everyone involved — the residents, their families, and our staff,” she said.

A grateful family member

King noted he isn’t only chairman of Episcopal Church Home. He said he also is a family member who is grateful for the high-quality care his mother has received as an ECH resident since 2009.

“I truly believe this Master Plan will help set the stage for years to come,” King said. “It will allow us to take care of our residents in the best possible way. It is intimate, attractive, and modern.”

Although St. Luke Chapel suspended in-person events during construction, it will remain the cornerstone of the campus, continuing to serve the community after the renovations.