91ÊÓƵ

Nursing homes often come with negative connotations.

A Milwaukie-based company is hoping to change that by developing short-term senior care facilities that feel like a spa or a hotel.

The perception of a nursing home changes when the stay is only temporary, said Matthew Stoffregen, a principal at Salem-based CB | Two Architects. The firm recently designed for Marquis Cos. three projects – in Tualatin, Newberg and Southeast Portland – that cater to seniors who don’t require hospitalization, but need extra care and therapy as they recover from a surgery, a stroke, a heart attack or a physical injury.

“Ultimately, it really stems from changing that concept of skilled nursing,” Stoffregen said. “Really what we’re seeing are people coming in for short-term stays. If you think of that from a design perspective, how do you make people not feel like they’re going to a clinic or a hospital?”

A growing trend is to upscale nursing homes so that aging baby boomers feel more comfortable as they receive recovery services.

“That’s exactly what we’re hoping to develop now and into the future,” said Amy Bucher, director of operations for Marquis Cos. “We’ve really built our new developments with the boomer generation in mind. It’s a really different model than the industry has encountered before.”

Portland-based Pavilion Construction is nearly finished building the Tualatin and Newberg facilities. The Southeast Portland facility being constructed by Vancouver, Wash.-based Erwin Construction Co. is scheduled to open this fall. All three centers will have 54 beds for short-term care. The Tualatin facility will also include 80 beds of assisted living.

CB | Two Architects has designed similar facilities in Oregon and elsewhere, and has seen more development of the post-acute care model over the past five years, Stoffregen said.

“When it was long-term care, it didn’t matter what the facility looked like,” he said. “Now you’ve got people that have a choice. You’re marketing. You’re competing.”

Marquis Cos.’ developments cater to baby boomers and their families with high-end finishes, bright colors, Wi-Fi and café-style lounges, Stoffregen said.

“The idea is to get them in and make them feel like they’re in a hotel or a spa and have them return home feeling refreshed and healthy,” he said.

The average stay for seniors in Marquis Cos.’ post-acute care facilities is about a month, Bucher said. Most don’t stay longer than three months. The recovery centers typically serve as intermediate facilities between hospitals and homes where speech, occupational and physical therapy can take place.

Traditional nursing homes designed for long-term care typically have large dining rooms and gathering spaces because residents often form friendships with their neighbors, Stoffregen said. Marquis Cos.’ short-term care facilities are designed to be the opposite because residents will view them as temporary stops on their road to recovery, he said. The recovery centers have private rooms with dining spaces as well as intimate gathering spaces to engage visitors.

Pavilion Construction President Brian Gerritz said he was immediately struck by this shift in senior care when the firm started working on the projects in Tualatin and Newberg.

“If you think about the way in which we cared for the elderly and immobile 30 years ago, much of these nursing homes felt institutional,” he said. “The demands and desires of the new elderly are changing. Instead of looking like a hospital, it needs to look like a Starbucks.”

The challenge was achieving an upscale feel in spaces suited for skilled nursing, Stoffregen said.

“Even though we’re shifting into this spa hotel feel, we still have to comply with all the state and federal regulations,” he said.

At the same time, it was important not to go overboard with the spa look to the point that patients wouldn’t believe that it was a place where they’d get treatment, Stoffregen said.

The true purpose of the post-acute care centers as a place of recovery had to be apparent immediately, he said. This includes incorporating a window behind the reception area that looks out onto a courtyard designed for outdoor physical therapy. In traditional nursing homes, treatment areas often are hidden.

“Right there behind the check-in area (visitors are) seeing physical therapy happening,” Stoffregen said. “You’re putting it front and center.”