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Sunday, February 24, 2019 • Special Advertising Section F •
7 17 continues record of growth, transforms itself for future
the Valley is excited to offer. There will be 30 memory care beds in addition to 30 regular assisted beds in the new facility. The need for memory care was demonstrated through a demographics study. This is an area where Shepherd of the Valley hopes to enrich the community. “We also had a demographics study done, and that showed that the assisted living dementia area was very underserved in this area. So we really think it's a service we're bring for the community,” said Rick Mattix, future Associate Director of the Liberty location. “We've worked with the Alzheimer's Association from a design standpoint. Our architect has done a lot of research as far as colors to use when you're dealing with people with Alzheimer's and Dementia, if that will address those issues.” The memory care area will feature a layout for residents to walk and sit, as well as individualized activities. These offerings will grow with the help of a grant awarded to Shepherd of the Valley through The Eden Alternative and The Ohio Ombudsman Program. The grant allows Shepherd of the Valley to participate in an education opportunity called Creating a Culture of Person-Directed Dementia Care. The program progresses through three phases, and is aimed at training in Dementia care specific to the resident. The first phases of training were completes off-site, in Akron. The rest of the training takes place through webinars. Limongi and Mattix are hopeful that this education opportunity will allow Shepherd of the Valley to be at the forefront of memory care in the area. This campus will set Shepherd of the Valley apart as a unique retirement community and care option in the area. “I think when you look around, you see some campuses that have just a freestanding nursing facility or a free-standing assisted living facility. Our vision for Shepherd of the Valley is when we look at any properties and projects we want it to be a full continuum of care. So we want it
7 17 Credit Union celebrated 61 years as a memberowned financial cooperative in 2018. It marked this milestone by revealing a new brand image, launching a responsive website, and setting its sights on the future with groundbreakings for two new branches all while maintaining strong financials and experiencing continued growth. 7 17’s refreshed brand identity was revealed in late February 2018; it includes a new color scheme of vibrant red, representing the strength and energy of a credit union that ranks among the largest and healthiest credit unions in the nation, and a calming slate blue that represents stability and trust. The new logo provides a cleaner look while following the common practice of credit union members to abbreviate Seven Seventeen to 7 17. The new tagline “Respectfully. Yours.” gives nod to that timeless salutation with punctuation that adds additional meaning. “Respectfully.” describes the essence of how the Credit Union operates. “Yours.” reflects 7 17’s focus on their members and the fact that the Credit Union is a cooperative financial institution owned by account holders rather than stockholders. Launched in mid-April, 7 17’s new website, www.717cu.com, features the latest responsive design techniques to give its visitors a consistent user experience from a desktop computer, laptop, tablet or smart phone. “We are truly committed to creating an exceptionally easy and convenient experience for our current and prospective Members, and this website is just one more way to make that possible,” said Gary Soukenik, President and CEO. The website also features a newly created financial education blog called Financial Fundamentals. The blog offers helpful tips, articles, and ideas to help Members confidently navigate their financial future. It covers topics such as budgeting advice, financial planning, and scam alerts, and includes information from KOFE (Knowledge of Financial Education), a partner of 7 17 in providing free financial education tools. The Credit Union broke ground on two new branches in summer 2018, one in Canfield and one in Warren. Construction for both locations is anticipated to be finalized in the spring of 2019. Located at 4280 Boardman-Canfield Road, the new Canfield branch will be a state-of-theart, full-service branch offering lobby and drivethru services as well as ATM access and other enhanced services. It will be the Credit Union’s 13th location, its fourth in Mahoning County.
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Liberty expansion opens new avenues for Shepherd of the Valley Shepherd of the Valley’s newest location, in Liberty, is projected to be completed in late spring or early summer of 2020. The $33 million expansion is designed to provide a full continuum of care for all phases of residents’ lives, from independent living to assisted living and more. It will cover 18 of the 55 acres Shepherd of the Valley purchased for the site, with the option for further expansion if needed. When completed, the location will be be roughly 175,000 square feet and will employ just shy of 200 staff members. The general contractor for the project is Joe DeSalvo of Desalvo Construction, and the architectural firm was Baker Bednar Snyder & Associates. It is the largest undertaking for Shepherd of the Valley yet. “As we looked at our Liberty site, we wanted to make sure that whatever we offered was going to be state of the art,” said Shepherd of the Valley CEO Rich Limongi. “One of the things we knew for sure is that we wanted to have a full continuum of care, so it's going to be a full continuum retirement community. It has skilled nursing, assisted living and it also has independent living.” The building will be set up in groups of neighborhoods, according to Limongi, which will make caring for residents easier. “So there will be no more than like 12 residents for every neighborhood. It makes it a little bit easier from a care standpoint,” he said. The skilled nursing area will feature private rooms with individualized temperature control, full bathrooms with step-in showers and more. One facet of the skilled nursing area that will be particularly useful for families visiting loved ones will be the “Granny’s Corner” area. The area will feature games and a TV that children will be able to use while parents are visiting with loved ones. Rounding out the skilled nursing area will be its own dining room and access to common areas, both indoors and outdoors. “The nice thing about the skilled nurs-
ing facility is that we're going to have three outdoor areas for residents to go, and they're all covered,” Limongi said. “I think over the course of time that when you look at your design, you need to have some areas that are covered. And if residents want to have some time to go out for a period in the sun they can, but there's also going to be those times when they want to be in the shade.” The project has been designed around the idea of comfort and moving away from an institutional feel. The large, impersonal nursing stations will be a thing of the past in favor of smaller desks. They will also be moving to a pageless calling system, allowing for a more peaceful environment. The independent living portion of the project is designed with every convenience in mind. Limongi noted that people are choosing to stay at home longer in life. In the past, the typical age when residents came into Shepherd of the Valley was 80-years-old. Now, that age is closer to 90, and independent living features at the Liberty expansion are designed to cater to that. “The design that we decided to go with is actually independent apartments with services” Limongi said. “There are one and two bedrooms available. They are going to have a kitchen setup for if they want to cook, but their monthly rate is also going to include two meals per day. In addition to that, for the residents that live in these independent apartments, we're going to have weekly well checks with an RN.” If a resident should need to change the level of care they need, there are options available. However, Shepherd of the Valley’s goal is to let people age in the same place, where they are comfortable, for as long as possible. “We have our health agency that can provide services in-house to let residents age in place a little bit longer. That's our ultimate goal, to let people age in place as long as possible,” Limongi said. The assisted living portion of the Liberty expansion will feature memory care, which is a new area Shepherd of