Heritage adds 10 rooms to Assisted Living
MADISON- The vacancy sign is out at Heritage Assisted Living and Memory Care Facility. Over a year in the works, the owners and staff officially opened the new wing on July 26 with a ribbon cutting. Heritage now has 36 assisted living and 10 memory care rooms.
The ten new rooms are on the assisted living side. The memory care unit has 10 rooms. Theyare all full with a waiting list.
In business since January 2015 Heritage is a locally owned and operated residential option for seniors who want or need help with some activities. The facility provides three meals a day, secure medicine dispensary, help in the bathroom as needed, help dressing, and daily activities.
A nurse is on duty 24-hours a day every day of the week.
“Our goals are to connect with the community, to create a larger family in our facility, and most importantly give people more options when it comes to their loved ones,” Heritage Administrator Amber Thompson said.
Thompson is a native of Corinth, Mississippi. She has degrees as a LPN and RN and worked in in Memphis before moving here in 2008 and has been Director of Nursing at Regency Retirement Village in Huntsville before becoming Administrator at Heritage.
Thompson said a challenge she faces is “getting the word out there that dementia and assisted living are two different things because people think assisted living is like a nursing home but it isn’t. People in our assisted living are very outgoing and they enjoy activities and have a life. We celebrate holidays and birthdays.
I see my job as helping families through a trying time when they realize their elderly parent doesn’t need to live alone anymore. The families can come here and visit and they don’t have to worry about mom or dad being alone because there they have support 24/7 and that gives the family comfort and relief,” Thompson said.
Heritage does not have an on-site rehabilitation service but they can arrange home health physical therapy to come in and get the residents adapted to getting out of their own bed and their own furniture.
“Most of our residents are from here and their family is close by. Our location close to the interstate helps because people can get here quickly now. You can get to downtown Huntsville and the medical district for appointments without going down Highway 72.”
Heritage is owned by seven doctors who all practice in Huntsville. The group is led by Dr. Rao Yerubandi a semi-retired general surgeon who is on-site usually a couple of times a week. The other owners are Dr.’s Murty Vuppala, Rao Chimata, Chandra Koneru, T.G. Mulpur, Ram Nadella, and G. S. Rao.
Other staff is Tamika Lewis (chef), Brittany Swinford (Director of Nursing), Chasity Taylor Wilbanks (office manager), Jutarat Chaiychon (Activities Director) and Aneudy Vasquesz (maintenance).
Any perspective family can stop by for a tour of the new wing. There are two floor plans to choose from; a one bedroom and a large efficiency. And different levels of support and floor plans make for a variety of pricing options.
