Will have beauty shop, home theater
Ashton Manor, a 60-apartment assisted living and memory care community opening in September, will offer individualized services and activities in a comfortable, home-like setting, according to Luling native David Schonberg of D.C. Schonberg and Associates.
The New Orleans-based assisted living and memory care company owns Ashton Manor and will continue to manage the community after it opens.
Ashton Manor will be located in Luling’s Ashton Plantation subdivision on six acres of land. In discussing the unique activities program at the community, Schonberg said that approximately 100 activities will be offered each month. Some will be in-house activities, such as exercise, mental awareness games and book clubs, while others will involve off-site excursions, such as shopping trips and visits to the senior Olympics.
Schonberg said that all activities will be tailored around the seniors’ interests.
“We are going to take an individualized approach to the activities and find out what our residents like to do,” he said. “If they enjoy gardening, we will try to have a garden club. If they like to cook, they will be able to participate in cooking.”
Assisted living communities differ from nursing homes in that they are based on a social model versus a clinical model. This social model facilitates the continued development and overall well-being of each resident, Schonberg said. Assisted living residents typically have had a slight decline in health in some way and need assistance performing one or more activities of daily living.
“A lot of people as they age and are by themselves get lonely, and a social atmosphere is where they thrive,” Schonberg said. “Instead of sitting at home by themselves waiting for visitors, they get to enjoy fun activities with others in a safe environment.”
Apartments at Ashton Manor are available in a variety of floor plans, including studios and one-bedrooms. All of the units include a kitchen area, bedroom and large bathroom. The one-bedroom apartments, which also have a living room and a kitchenette, average around 600 square feet, while the studio apartments are around 400 square feet.
A glass memory case in front of each room will allow residents to display memorabilia from throughout their lives, including photos of family and friends. Schonberg said that the memory cases will allow caregivers to get to know the residents on a deeper level.
Ashton Manor is divided into three neighborhoods, based on the level of care each resident needs. Each neighborhood has a kitchen area where food will be served family style near a fireplace. Two of the neighborhoods are separated by an outdoor courtyard that will have a large rose garden. All of the neighborhoods have a porch area where residents can gaze at sights nearby, such as the Hale Boggs Bridge.
The main building will have a home theater room that will double as an area for religious services, a beauty shop and a large activities room. All apartments receive weekly housekeeping and residents are provided three meals a day. Ashton Manor’s cuisine will be one of its most welcoming attributes, with a focus on the regional, Louisiana food the residents know and love, according to Schonberg.
So far, Schonberg said that 10 people have put down a deposit to be a part of Ashton Manor and interest has been high. He believes that Ashton Manor will be the nicest assisted living facility in the Gulf States area.
“People from Luling and the parish haven’t had a place for assisted living until now,” he said. “A lot of people are in assisted living facilities in New Orleans or other places, but their families live in St. Charles Parish. I think a big draw for them is getting the chance to return home and be close to their families.”
Schonberg said that once seniors become residents of Ashton Manor, the facility will do everything they can to keep them throughout every stage of the aging process.
“If something like [a health problem] happens, we will bring in third party services.,” Schonberg said. “If they need home health care, we will bring that extra help. The idea is that when someone moves in with us, we want this to be their home for the long term.”
In 2002, the parish decided to include an assisted living community in plans for improving the area’s health sector. The center is meant to house elderly residents who aren’t quite ready for nursing homes but still need some level of care.
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