The BeeHive Homes are gearing up to open a new memory care home on Friday, March 3rd and allowed potential and future residents to attend an open house, and tour what is going to become, the Huckleberry Building.
"We created these homes to look rustic, to look like something that would come out of Montana since that is where most of these people have called home all their lives," explained the organizations owner, Michael Kingsley.
Walking through the open house, there was a sense of warmth within the halls of the new building.
The lights were warm and comfortable, and a wall of birch trees accompanying a large fire place was the first draw of attention upon entering the facility.
"I think you've gotten me through life," said a resident who sat at a table with a registered nurse, one who had been his neighbor before he moved from his previous home.
Upon remembering her neighbor, the nurse - Rochelle Brokl - smiled. "He lived next to me all my life. It was a surprise to see him here today but I know he's in good hands."
Patients diagnosed with some sort of memory impairment has grown within the last several years in Great Falls. Kingsley explained that the growth has also sparked a need for memory care specific facilities. According to him, this is the fifth memory care facility offered by the BeeHive community.
"Memory care, we started back in 2010. Unfortunately, more and more people are suffering from the disease so, they need a place that is secure. It's okay if families end up not having the resources to care for their loved one but that's why we're here, to take away that worry." he explained. "It also takes a special kind of caregiver to provide that care."
In a conversation with Rochelle, she illustrated the realities of being a nurse in a long-term care such as the BeeHive. “Caregiving... It's hard work. It's physically demanding, it's mentally demanding, it's emotionally demanding, and it can be draining. But at the end of the day, when you leave your job, I feel like when you walk out of here, you should know that you made a difference with these people.”
She went on to explain that despite the hardships, she feels that her job as a nurse is rewarding. “It's rewarding, though. At the end of the day, knowing that you make a difference in these people's lives. And, I think that's very special and, it takes a special type of person.”
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