“When I was 16 years old, my grandma was very sick and she was unable to speak, says Cari Claussen, founder of Country Lane Memory Care in Riverton. “She was in a Springfield nursing home and the care was not good. I always said that if I ever got the opportunity to help people who had no voice, I would.” After receiving her degree in psychology from University of Illinois Springfield, Claussen worked as an advocate for seniors for more than 15 years before beginning work on the soon-to-be-opened assisted living facility.
Country Lane has been in the works more than two years. “I’ve always had a dream to have a facility like this and it finally came true,” she says. “There were a lot of loopholes and a lot of hurdles but we finally got through it all. It’s really exciting.”
Offering 24-hour care for a maximum of 50 residents, the building will be locked to prevent confused residents from getting out and wandering around. Medication management will also be offered, along with nursing services. All meals will be provided for residents, with special dietary needs taken into consideration.
Along with taking care of basic needs, Country Lane will also have a focus on its residents’ quality of life – with a beauty shop, a theater room and an activity room all on site. “Our whole building is centered around the dining room and we will encourage residents to get out of their rooms and to socialize,” Claussen says.
Country Lane, which is in the final stages of construction at press time, is being built on seven acres of family farm ground. “It’s a beautiful country setting for them and in the spring and summer the fields will be growing so they will be able to look at that.”
The “memory care” portion of the facility’s name is because the facility is specifically aimed at those suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and dementia in the early to middle stages, according to Claussen. “Age really does not matter,” she explains. “With these diseases sometimes you see people in their early 60s who have this, all the way up to 90 or older. It’s really just who needs the care.”
Claussen has a deeply rooted passion for this work, dating back to her early experiences with her grandmother. She plans to hold her staff to a high standard. “I will provide training and education,” she says. “It’s important that the staff understands the disease process and what this special population needs.”
Riverton and the surrounding communities, such as Dawson and Sherman, have been supportive of the project, according to Claussen. “A lot of people have called wanting to volunteer, they’re just excited about it. They want to make sure their family member is taken care of and they also want to stay close to home.” Claussen has found social media an effective way to do outreach for Country Lane, receiving many responses from the facility’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/Country-Lane-Memory-Care-Assisted-Living-864864230270560/.) “I also have my website and I’m willing to talk with anybody,” she says. “I’m always going around and introducing myself to people.”
Claussen expects construction on Country Lane to be completed by the end of March and is hoping to get people moved in at some point in April. “The date is up in the air because the state comes in and does their inspections,” she says. “Everything’s been great so far!”
Contact Scott Faingold at sfaingold@illinoistimes.com.
This article appears in Capital City Senior March 2016.
