Senior Living Initiative down to handful of site selections

CHELAN – The search for available property in the valley can be strenuous at times. However, Amanda Ballou with the Senior Living Initiative (SLI) steering committee said the committee is making its way through the selections, and have eliminated several of the preliminarily 18 sites, resulting in a handful of sites that fit the criteria requested through public input.
SLI’s “vision of the group is to develop a pathway of care for seniors in the Chelan Valley,” explained Ballou, “we wanted to really convey the sense that people’s needs are changing, and different people age at different rates – but there is kind of a progression of needs that has a fairly predictable pattern to it, just people take it at different rates.”
As health declines, people often need assistance in areas that were not previously needed in lives, whether it be with maintenance, general repairs, cleaning or even medication reminders. Ballou and fellow steering committee members are striving to make the aging transition easier for seniors with a multi-faceted plan.
In the effort of developing a pathway of care, the search for property to construct a total needs campus has begun. The search has boiled down the initial 18 possible site selections, to now a handful of properties that will fit the needs of the aging. A campus where these services could be provided. Many times, you see times or couples who have different levels of need, but they want to stay in close proximity to each other. It’s providing a campus where people can have a pretty predicable transition and can stay close to people they’ve known all their lives. The campus would contain an independent living, assisted living, and memory care, all onsite, allowing for movement from one facility to another in an orderly progression, or to be able to be close in proximity to loved ones.
Another task force involved in the SLI is the Tender Loving Care (TLC) program. TLC offers visitations to seniors who live alone. The program provides a safety standard, but also allows socializing and relationships which contribute to the quality of life. Chelan Valley Hope sponsors the TLC for Seniors Program, and an award of $15,500 has been contributed to the program from United Healthcare.
The next SLI steering committee meeting will convene Wednesday, Dec. 20 at the Chelan County PUD office, beginning at 5 p.m.