91视频

Heavy work is heating up on the big expansion/renovation at Cedar Sinai Park, where administrators are eager to roll out a new method of senior care.

The Southwest Portland project will add two buildings, each made of two self-sustaining 鈥渉omes鈥� containing 12 beds each. A total of 48 beds will be added to CSP. Phase 1 was recently completed, and crews are beginning to make their big push on Phase II, which involves the most square-footage. The overall move to a post-acute rehabilitation center should wrap by January 2018.

Ground was broken on the $33 million project 鈥� designed by LRS Architects 鈥� in summer 2015. The somewhat extended timeline is due to the project phasing 鈥� as one section is completed and crews move on to the next, residents begin to occupy the new space.

鈥淭he next seven months are pivotal to making our schedule,鈥� senior project manager Kraig O’Connor said.

By far, the biggest challenge for general contractor R&H Construction has been performing the work while the existing facility is fully occupied, according to project team members. Mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems need to continue functioning as they are upgraded.

The risk of cutting the wrong pipe or electrical wire has an added level of severity when live people depend on it, O’Connor said. That is why surfaces have color-coded tape, delineating which elements are to stay and which will go.

鈥淚t’s different going into an unused building and having to tear it apart,鈥� he said. 鈥淗ere we have to be incredibly careful.

鈥淲e obviously don’t want to interrupt the services that they need to provide, but we need them to know we’re here. That’s our biggest challenge, and they’ve been amazing partners.鈥�

Cedar Sinai Park CEO Sandra Simon returned the compliment. She said she’s been involved in five similar remodels during which buildings were occupied during construction.

鈥淚’ve been involved in projects where we’ve felt it,鈥� she said, 鈥渂ut they’ve been amazing partners. I haven’t had any residents call me to complain 鈥� no families, no neighbors.鈥�

Some residents, CSP officials insist, love the excitement the renovation affords 鈥� the noise, the new faces, the changes in scenery. (No residents were on-site for the 91视频 to ask to confirm this.)

鈥淪ome of our residents have made friends,鈥� said Jennifer Felberg, CSP’s life enrichment director. 鈥淭hey love to go up and say, 鈥楬ow you boys doing?’ 鈥�

For this, communication has been key, O’Connor said. Messages are conveyed differently in the construction and the health care sectors, so getting on the same page has been an area of focus. Project leaders on both sides have had to keep their cellphones close at hand.

鈥淭he biggest thing we can do is communicate often,鈥� O’Connor said. 鈥淲e have staff available to answer questions full-time, and so do they.鈥�

R&H has relied on a crew of about 20, with around 30 more working on-site for subcontractors.

Cedar Sinai Park has hosted tours for neighbors for most of July. Once the residents move in, access will be more restricted. The reason is tied to the organization’s philosophy, Felberg said.

鈥淵ou can ask yourself: Would this happen in my home? If the answer is no, then it’s not going to happen here,鈥� she said. 鈥淚n our home, if a stranger comes up, they ring the doorbell and you decide whether or not to invite them in. And that’s how it will be here 鈥� we’re honoring the threshold.鈥�

The rooms aren’t numbered. They aren’t shared either. CSP’s Green House model for elder care, Felberg said, focuses on three things: meaningful life, empowered staff and 鈥渞eal home.鈥�

鈥淚 hope that we are moving forward elder care for our society, and for all of Oregon,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t needed to happen, and it couldn’t come any faster.鈥�

Each room in the 鈥渉ome鈥� buildings will feature private bathrooms. Residents will have the option of handling their own laundry in private areas.

Green House caregivers, known as 鈥淪hahbazim,鈥� are certified nursing assistants (CNAs) cross-trained in the Green House model, which includes meal preparation, laundry and other services for seven to 10 residents. Shahbazim is the plural of Shabaz, a Persian word for a legendary falcon that guards a king.

All Cedar Sinai Park residents are Jewish, and require skilled nursing care.

The project started about 10 years ago with the establishment of a capital campaign seeking around $19 million. About five years ago, the small 鈥渉ome-like鈥� layout was chosen, and then the 鈥淕reen House鈥� method was adopted.

鈥淚t’s beyond bricks and mortar 鈥� it’s a philosophy of care,鈥� Simon said.

鈥淓verything you see is meant to eliminate institutional cues,鈥� Felberg said. 鈥淵ou won’t see med carts. The CNAs don’t wear scrubs. The residents who live here make most of the decisions. They plan the menus. They plan their activities. They participate in cooking. There are a lot more options.

鈥淚t’s really modeled on a home model. It’s a deliberate departure from institutional care.鈥�