GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY AT CHRISTWOOD
April 15, 2002
Christwood, a Continuing Care Retirement Community in Covington, celebrated the groundbreaking for its new Memory Support Wing on Monday, April 15, 2002, at 11:00 a.m. with a ceremony at the site of the future addition. The Rev’d L. Stephen Holzhalb III, President of the first Board of Directors and current President, and The Rev’d John C. Bauerschmidt, Rector of Christ Episcopal Church in Covington, officiated.
Some of the many honored guests for the ceremony included Mayor Keith Villere; Councilman Floyd Glass; Canon Rex Perry, representative of the Bishop of the Diocese of Louisiana; and past and present members of the Christwood Board of Directors.
“It is a tradition to begin any church project such as this by asking God’s blessing on the work and to recognize the many people who have contributed to the process,” said The Rev’d Bauerschmidt.
Christwood, the only not-for-profit continuing care retirement community on the North Shore, currently offers independent living, assisted living, and skilled nursing – all under one roof. Its mission is “to help Seniors live with dignity, independence, and the assurance of needed physical, spiritual, and medical care.”
The Independent Living Wing consists of 118 apartments with 20,000 square feet of recreational, educational, and social areas. The Arbor is comprised of 30 Assisted Living apartments and 20 private nursing suites. The new Memory Support Wing will consist of 2 “neighborhoods” each accommodating 9 residents in private suites. This addition will make room for 18 new residents throughout Christwood.
Much care has gone into the design of the Memory Support Wing. An expansion committee led by Claude Duet and composed of Suzy Graham, Greg Gregory, the Rev’d L. Stephen Holzhalb III, Kenny Rains, and Jerri Schaller, researched the special concerns of developing living areas for residents with memory impairment.
According to Suzy Graham, a Christwood Board member who was the interior designer on the original Christwood community, “even more care in decorating will be taken with the Memory Support Wing, because there are special design elements that must be considered when decorating for residents with memory impairment: lighting, colors, patterns, walking space, etc. We are making certain that these criteria are met.”
The architectural firm for the project is Renaissance Design Group Schutte Wilscan Birge of Omaha, Nebraska, the same firm that designed Christwood. The group is experienced in designing state-of-the-art communities for memory impaired residents.
The Memory Support Wing at Christwood is scheduled to be ready for occupancy in May 2003. For more information, call (985) 898-0515 or (800) 480-4361. Christwood is located at 100 Christwood Blvd. in Covington, just off LA Hwy. 21, south of the I-12 interchange.
END
Pictured at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Memory Support Wing at Christwood Continuing Care Retirement Community are (left to right): The Rev’d John C. Bauerschmidt, Rector of Christ Episcopal Church in Covington; Canon Rex Perry, Assistant to the Bishop of the Diocese of Louisiana; Covington Mayor Keith Villere; Covington Councilman Floyd Glass; and The Rev’d L. Stephen Holzhalb, III, President of Christwood’s first Board of Directors and current President.
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