The Village at Summerville, part of Presbyterian Communities of South Carolina, offers a full continuum of services, which gives residents peace of mind knowing there is a plan in place.
Residents enjoy a beautiful wooded campus with water features and walking paths. With the continuum of care offered at this 62-year-old community, there are plenty of well-trained staff members. On a daily basis, you will hear staff talk about how they enjoy being a part of the team – mostly because they love the residents, they feel that they make a difference in their lives from the food they serve to helping them keep their home clean to ensuring that they receive the care they need.
That includes a health care center that offers skilled nursing care and short-term rehabilitation. Dustin Anderson, director of therapy, recalls the many people his team has served over the years.
“To pen a single fond story would be quite the task. Rather, I would like to share with you a common theme I see from our ministry here. ‘Thank you. I’m going back home stronger and look forward to visiting again in the future to show you how well I’m doing.’”
Anderson added that being part of the community gives him “great job satisfaction,” knowing he’s helped make a difference in people’s lives.
The staff at the Village at Summerville continue to take COVID-19 “very seriously” said Executive Director Tim Barresi: “We’ve had a handful of cases throughout the pandemic but have been able to contain the spread and keep staff and residents safe. 98% of our permanent residents and over 90% of our staff have been vaccinated. As part of Presbyterian Communities of South Carolina, we have moved to mandatory vaccinations for staff and have received very positive comments from families and residents.”
In December, The Village is opening Evergreen House, a “uniquely designed memory support neighborhood.”
“Evergreen House, along with our independent living, assisted living and skilled health and rehab will expand that continuum and the Presbyterian Communities’ mission,” Barresi explained, adding that it will include 24 accommodations with private bathrooms.
Presbyterian Communities of South Carolina partnered with Jennifer Brush, the only “trainer of trainers” in the United States certified by the Association of Montessori Internationale for Montessori for Aging and Dementia, along with McMillian Pazdan & Smith Architects, to create the new state-of-the-art setting.
One of the unique Montessori programming highlights is the use of care partners who practice with residents to help them relearn previous life roles as well as learn new roles.
The architecture of Evergreen House will encourage residents to freely choose how, when and where they want to participate, whether in group activities or “purpose-driven work.” Natural light and open spaces will encourage each individual to move about freely and socialize. Specially designed signage will invite residents to participate in life tasks and familiar roles.
Staffing will exceed the state minimums for assisted living. In addition to dedicated, specially trained care partners, there will be daily operations supervision by a memory support manager, life enrichment neighborhood support and clinical supervision from current Nursing Director Vickie Brown, who said “I am thrilled to be part of this.”
For more information on The Village at Summerville, visit www.prescommunities.org or call 843-873-2550.
