ROGERS — Besides exercise, bridge clubs, water aerobics and craft class, there are always speakers on various topics at the Adult Wellness Center.

Last week’s Lunch and Learn gave the members the chance to hear about a new concept in caring for seniors.

“It’s a transformation that respects the dignity and the freedom and the privacy of the individual,” Laura Fleetwood, the chairman of the nonprofit NWA Senior Services, said. The group created and manages Legacy Village in Bentonville.

It all started in the early 1990s, Fleetwood remembered. A group that included several doctors realized that middle-class senior citizens needed more and better services than were available.

“It’s not an institution,” she said. “It’s a way of caring for elderly people that puts them at the center.”

The 48 acres, close to the new art museum, Crystal Bridges, is already home to 30 residents. So far, the campus can provide two levels of care.

First, there are the Garden Homes, small private homes with front porches and garages. There’s also a clubhouse with a library, fitness center and Internet access.

The homes are maintenance free and include a weekly housekeeping service.

For residents who need more assistance, there are six Green House homes.

The Green House residences at Legacy Village are unique in the state, Fleetwood said. The model was developed by Dr. William Thomas.

They are assisted living level two residences, but they resemble a family home with 10 residents in each building. Each has a large open kitchen where meals for the residents are prepared. There’s a common area with a fireplace and a patio and courtyard.

The staff members are called “shabaz,” board member Ed Adair said, explaining that they do more than a nurses aid. The residents and their caregivers become a family and there’s little turnover in staff.

With a staff caring for them individually many of the residents improve, he said.

One of the Green Houses is being leased by Circle of Life Hospice so they can bring their program into Benton County. The Hospice will eventually build their own facility on the Legacy Campus.

There will be apartments on the campus someday as well, Adair said. There may also be specialized care for Alzheimer’s patients.

Since the project is nonprofit, fees are kept low, he said. Donations help with that, he added.

Fleetwood’s purpose at the AWC wasn’t to recruit new residents. She wanted to educate the community about a new way of caring for the elderly and she wanted to invite them all to visit.

Adair summed it up.

“It’s a place,” he said, “where love matters.”NEBCO Spaghetti dinner set GARFIELD - The Northeast Benton County Volunteer Fire Department will hold an all-you-can-eat Spaghetti Feed fund raiser from 4 p.m.

to 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6, at the NEBCO Community Center, 17823 Marshall St. (U.S.

Highway 62), in Garfield.

Spaghetti, salad, bread and drink will be served. Cost is $5 for adults, $3 for children 5-12 and children under 5 eat free.

News, Pages 1 on 11/04/2009

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