Providence Point Meets Needs of Residents and Community

By Lois Thomson

What has changed in the past 20 years regarding independent living and personal care homes? "Everything has changed in 20 years," said Amy Dukes with a laugh. Dukes is vice president of marketing and public relations at Providence Point, a continuing care retirement community that opened in 2009 in Scott Township.

She explained, for example, that people are waiting longer to move into any kind of senior housing, whether independent or assisted. "They're doing everything they can to stay at home for as long as they can. That's one of the reasons we focus so much on wellness, because we know people are wanting to stay in their independent home for as long as possible."

Providence Point is part of the Baptist Senior Family, which was established in West Newton around 1910. It quickly outgrew its facility and in 1912 bought land in Mt. Lebanon for the Baptist Homes campus. Originally opened to serve widows and orphans, that campus has transitioned to a 100-unit HUD apartment building – independent living and supportive services for low-income seniors.

At Providence Point, residents who move into independent living and later need additional support can transition into the assisted living personal care, skilled nursing and rehab, or memory support. "People move in, and as their needs change within our campus, we can meet their needs at whatever level of care is necessary," Dukes said.

Dr. Z. Allen Abbott, vice president of philanthropy for the Baptist Homes Foundation, said, "The Foundation exists to raise resources that we need to fully operate, and philanthropy is very important to that story." Abbott talked about the different sources of funding and the various projects thus supported:

He said there are people who make gifts through the foundation that ensure none of the residents has to leave for financial reasons. The Baptist Homes campus in particular requires a lot of support from the community. "This has been our mission for 115 years, and it gives the family peace of mind." A scholarship program funded by the residents and others in the community is available to send employees to college. Abbott said 24 employees were recipients last year.

Other funding goes for programming for residents, including grief counseling, and brain health, and also emphasizes innovation in wellness technology. "We've been partnering with Carnegie Mellon's Robotics Institute to help design assistive robots that will help people with their activities of daily living." Even little tasks performed by robots can improve the efficiency of the staff and free them up to spend more time with the residents.

"People make the donations and we put together the pieces and find the right solutions, and the donor is happy and the beneficiaries are happy, and everybody wins. That's what philanthropy is all about."

She pointed out that the Providence Point campus offers amenities such as various dining venues, an indoor pool, and a fitness center, along with "robust wellness programs that are focused on the whole person, to keep people as healthy as possible, for as long as possible." These programs include ones that are for cognitive health and emotional heath, and Dukes added, "We do a lot of programming to increase people's socialization, because isolation is such a big issue in the senior population that really impacts health."

Because people are taking up residence at Providence Point's independent living while still healthy, and with all of the services offered, many are enjoying fuller lives. As Dukes said, "People who are staying at home longer and taking care of themselves and pursuing wellness in the way we offer it are able to stay independently in their apartments for longer in a much safer and healthier way."

With the increasing number of senior care facilities, Dukes commented on what she believes makes Providence Point stand out: "We're a small, local nonprofit. Our focus is making sure we're meeting needs of residents for the larger community, and reinvesting in our community so we can continue to improve and offer the best to our residents."

For more information, call (412) 489-3550 or visit www.providencepoint.org.