Addington Place of Fairfield to hold grand reopening

FAIRFIELD – Addington Place of Fairfield is planning a grand reopening to celebrate recent renovations and to let the public know it is open and taking new residents.

The grand reopening is planned for 4-8 p.m. on Thursday, June 19. It will have a casino theme with a tagline of “We’re all in.” The business will serve refreshments, and Elvis-impersonator John Talley will be there, too.

Josie Heilmann, director of sales at Addington Place of Fairfield, said in early May that construction was complete on the renovations the business made after a sprinkler broke in late February that forced all residents to exit the building. Some residents stayed with their families, and others went to live in Addington Place’s sister communities in Burlington, Mt. Pleasant, Muscatine and elsewhere.

“We have replaced flooring in certain apartments, and where the incident happened is all brand new,” Heilmann said, noting that the two apartments that suffered the worst flooding had to be rebuilt with new drywall. “The building’s hallways have received new base boards and a fresh coat of paint.”

In addition to handling sales, Heilmann is also responsible for giving guests and potential clients tours of the facility.

“We give tours to anyone who walks in,” she said. “I also take appointments, and a couple of other staff members can fill in. We’re always available for tours, even on the weekends.”

Addington Place has an apartment set aside to serve as a model for tours, but that just shows one style of apartment. Addington Place has four styles of apartments, and Heilmann said a few residents have agreed to open their residences up for tours when a guest wants to see all the different styles.

“A lot of people want to know about services and amenities for their parents,” Heilmann said about the kind of questions she gets on tours. “They’re interested in the care side, but also want to know what quality of life their loved one will receive. Depending on their needs, I’ll showcase meals or the sociability of residents, wanting to make sure everyone is included.”

Heilmann said she tries to tailor her tour to each prospective resident. Some yearn for social interactions, while others are content to be by themselves.

“Some people just want to watch TV, and we don’t make them participate if they don’t want to,” she said. “We have cable included, so they can watch their favorite channels.”

Those who want an active social life have many options. There’s a baking club, a gardening program, and a group that goes on walks when the weather is nice. But perhaps the most popular activity of all is bingo, which Addington Place hosts three times per week.

“We don’t mess with bingo,” Heilmann joked. “I’d say 15-20 residents participate, and on Monday we do bingo with First Resources.”

Another fun thing the residents get to experience is “Flavorful Friday,” where they try treats, sometimes coinciding with a funny holiday like National Peach Cobbler Day. Thanks to the recent remodeling, a whole new space is being created for arts and crafts.

“We have very crafty people like quilters and sewers who do door wreaths,” Heilmann said. “We’ve sold wreaths and soaps at art walk before, and all the proceeds went to the Alzheimer’s Association.”

Addington Place has 35 residents, and as of early May, still had a few openings. It’s full for its two largest apartment styles, with limited availability in its memory care unit. Those in memory care receive more supervision from staff, and one staff member is there 24/7. Heilmann said there were still quite a few studio apartments left.

The Fairfield branch of Addington Place has 21 staff members. In addition to the aforementioned locations in Mt. Pleasant, Burlington and Muscatine, Addington Place also has branches in Des Moines, Clinton and Carroll.

  Buy Photo

Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com

  Buy Photo

  Buy Photo

  Buy Photo