BeeHive Homes of Butte

COURTESY OF BEEHIVE HOMES

Rachel cRisp philips

Janelle Hildreth and Aaron Hildreth were inspired to provide quality assisted living care in a home-like setting when they decided to become the owners of BeeHive Homes of Butte. With caregivers and elderly care services committed to the complete health of each resident, their facility is a comfort to seniors.

“The purpose behind these residential type settings is to offer a more homelike option for the residents, when they no longer have the choice to stay in their own home. And it just hit us, in our hearts. We spoke for a couple hours, and we looked at each other and we literally said; it's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when we want it. It sounds like a rewarding path to take,” says Hildreth, who is also a Registered Nurse.

To maintain independence, each resident has a private room and bathroom with an ADA shower. BeeHive Homes of Butte also features 24-hour staffing, dietitian-approved homecooked meals, group interaction and activities, daily laundry, and housekeeping services. Their unique approach to assisted living care is designed to give each individual resident more time and assistance with their care needs.

“We’re locally owned and operated, the owners are right here in town available to make sure that things are going well,” says Hildreth. “I think people appreciate that. It's very personal, and they know that we care,” she says.

“Our residents’ families really appreciate our homelike setting when families move in. Our goal is to make the resident and the families feel like family,” Hildreth says.

Mealtime at BeeHive Homes of Butte helps to fos-

COURTESY OF BEEHIVE HOMES

ter that sense of family, with fully home-cooked meals made from local ingredients and approved by the resident’s dietician. Suggestions of favorite meals are welcomed, and integrated into meal plans. However, meals remain flexible, and residents are encouraged to follow their preferences.

“We always say; if they want to do it at home, what's stopping them from doing it in our homes? This is their home still,” says Hildreth.

BeeHive Homes of Butte also features an abundant activities program. There are local outings such as going out for ice cream or to a restaurant, as well as crafts and games. The activities director, resident council, and staff members encourage residents to communicate their wants as well.

“The activities director meets with the residents monthly and the resident council and tries to figure out what kind of games and crafts and activities they’d like to do the next month, or what they want to try differently,” Hildreth says.

“It’s very personal. Their voices are heard because every voice counts, because we're small enough we can do that,” says Hildreth.

Some of the long-time traditions at BeeHive Homes of Butte include events that bring families into the homes, to recapture that feeling of ‘going to grandma’s house’. Community connection is crucial to BeeHive Homes of Butte, and as visitations resume, everyone looks forward to big annual events such as a Mother’s Day Tea Party, Father’s Day Brunch, Fire Department Thank-You Breakfast, holiday celebrations, and a big summer barbeque in August that includes a bouncy house and musical performers.

However, none of the success of BeeHive Homes of Butte could be possible without the caring souls of the caregiving staff. At BeeHive, the staff is more than just employees, they are part of the family.

“I care just as much about my employees’ happiness as I do my residents’ happiness,” says Hildreth.

“I remind them, this is a service that you're giving to people who sometimes are in a situation where they can't say thank you, and they can't tell you, ‘thank you’, but I promise you if they could they would. They're grateful for these workers who come in and do such a selfless service to help people who need it when they can't do it themselves,” Hildreth says.

Moving forward, together, BeeHive Homes of Butte is excited to announce that they are currently building a fourth home in Butte. The new, 19-bed facility will embrace the home-like atmosphere that BeeHive Homes is known for, all in a modern building with updated features to better serve the residents.

Even with new paths on the horizon, the destination remains the same. To serve the residents, and the community, as a family - with love.

“I’ll use the words of one of our residents who I think said it best. She said, ‘You can't explain it, it's just a feeling. It's a feeling of love,” says Hildreth. MT55