Capital Campaign 2011

A History of Faith

In 1918 the home of Mr. Henry Langeland on Peck Street was donated to provide resident care for the elderly from area Reformed, Christian Reformed, and Berean churches. That one donation eventually grew into a non-profit ministry dedicated to serving seniors with a caring home where their needs are met with skill and Christian love. Today, as Christian Care of Muskegon celebrates 91 years of service, we are beginning a new chapter, preparing for new challenges, and honoring the community that continues to kindle our passion for service.

Over the years, the home for the aged on Peck Street was expanded, renovated, and eventually replaced with a new facility in response to the community’s growing need for different levels of elder care. By 1993, even the expanded facilities weren’t sufficient to meet local demand, and a new Senior Care Assisted Living Community was constructed at 1530 McLaughlin Avenue. With private rooms for 105 residents and a well-trained and committed staff, our legacy of elder care continues in this facility where senior members of our community receive the levels of assisted care they need in order to preserve their independence.

In the mid-1960’s it became apparent that there was a growing number of seniors who needed a higher level of care than the original home for the aged could provide. Christian Care was facing new challenges as we worked to provide 24-hour skilled nursing care in a building that was not designed for such care. The residents were in need of daily professional care but not hospitalization. It was out of that need that our skilled nursing center grew, and was established in 1966 when Christian Care of Muskegon purchased the current nursing home, which is on Kenneth Street.

Meeting Needs - Providing Hope

Today, the nursing center provides 24-hour skilled nursing care for up to 49 residents. Our well-trained nursing staff demonstrates compassion, skill, and ingenuity daily as they strive to provide the best individualized care possible for each person in their care. However, their job has become more difficult in recent years as the building has become outdated and crowded. It is also becoming more difficult to compete with other facilities that provide residents with more personal and public space.

• Twenty-five percent of the resident beds are in crowded multi-bed wards with minimal privacy.
• Bathrooms are small and shared by four people, providing little privacy or dignity.
• Some rooms are smaller than the new State minimum required size.
• Due to lack of space, the present dining room is also used for doctor/family consultations, staff meetings, some therapies, and activities for the residents.
• Nursing stations and office space are inadequate to meet the growing nursing and administrative requirements.
• The resident “hair salon” consists of an operator who washes hair in a shower room and then places residents under dryers in the hallway.

Planning with Love

Our plan for expansion of Christian Care of Muskegon is about much more than bricks and mortar. It’s about a firm belief that each resident we serve has a right to dignity, respect, and holistic care that addresses their mind, body, and spirit. That belief is the foundation for the board’s commitment to replace the existing skilled nursing center with a new residence in a safer location. This new state-of-the-art facility will allow our dedicated staff to provide better care to our residents, as well as specialized care to the growing number of residents with Alzheimer’s.

Our nursing center is committed to becoming the leader in West Michigan in dementia care. In fact, we have already begun by creating and implementing a seven-part educational series for our staff. Future staff in-services will continue on a regular basis. Educational programs related to Alzheimer’s will also be hosted in our new facility for the public.

In addition to the physical aspect, the Specialized Alzheimer’s Unit will also feature ongoing dementia-specific training for all caregivers and activity-focused care, the three key elements that make an Alzheimer’s Unit beneficial.

Our Project

The plan provides for a new nursing center comprised of three connected, but autonomous, wings that will create unique neighborhoods with a home-like atmosphere for up to 70 residents. Two of the “neighborhoods” will accommodate 49 private resident rooms for personalized nursing care, and the third neighborhood will be a specialized memory care wing consisting of 21 private rooms for residents with Alzheimer’s disease. The new nursing center will be located on 14 beautiful wooded acres on Sheridan Drive and is designed to accommodate future growth.

Plans for the two nursing care neighborhood units include:

• 49 private resident rooms
• Two home-like dining rooms
• Beauty/barber shop
• Two fireside lounges
• Designated therapy and examination rooms
• Areas designed for socialization
• A large multipurpose room for large group activities, staff trainings, and educational programs for the community
• A family conference room
• An overall design to maximize infection control
• Porches
• State-of-the-art safety systems

The specialized memory care neighborhood will be the first of its kind in a nursing home in Muskegon County and will include:

• 21 private rooms for residents with Alzheimer’s
• Interior and exterior contained walkways
• Adequate space for the common symptom of wandering
• The use of colors designed to reduce problems, such as falls
• Low-glare finishes
• A peaceful and calm environment

Your Opportunity

Providing A Solution

We have the opportunity to provide a solution for families in the following categories:

• Muskegon County has a high percentage of older adults, it ranks 13th highest of the 83 counties in Michigan for people afflicted with Alzheimer’s.
• Currently, there are 5 million people in the United States with Alzheimer’s; by the year 2050 that number will soar to about 15 million.
• There is no nursing home in Muskegon County with a Specialized Alzheimer’s Unit, Muskegon families seeking specialized care for their loved ones must send them out of the county.

Our Thanks

We thank you for your continued prayers and support for Christian Care as we look to the future.  God has blessed us through the years and we are amazed at what He has done so far.

The total estimated cost of the new nursing center is $8 million. The proposed funding of this project is a $1 million Capital Campaign and a $7 million long-term mortgage. The proceeds from the sale of the current nursing center building will also be applied to the new facility.

The board and staff of Christian Care are committed to the efforts needed to make the new nursing center a reality. Every member of the board and every member of the development committee has already shown their support by giving or pledging contributions to the capital campaign. Many employees of Christian Care’s nursing center and assisted living center have also shown their support by making contributions. They are excited to kick off the capital campaign because they know, perhaps better than anyone, what such a gift will mean to our community.