Autumn Trace Provides Seniors with a Place to Call Home
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Imagine living in a place where you could spend your days relaxing, visiting with friends and not having to fret about all of the responsibilities that come with home ownership. That worry-free, maintenance-free living experience was precisely what the owner of Autumn Trace wanted to offer seniors in rural Indiana when he built Autumn Trace in Plymouth.
Privately owned by Jim Gillen, the company specializes in a hands-on approach to catered independent and assisted living. With locations in Attica, Linton and North Vernon, they build in areas that are in great need of assisted living. According to Joseph Collins, Executive Director of the brand-new Plymouth location, the community has 56 large suites that range from 400-sq. ft. studios to one-bedroom (590 sq. ft.) and two-bedroom (752 sq. ft.) apartments.
The state-of-the-art, pet-friendly facility includes a beauty salon, café, chapel, movie theatre and game room that has card tables that convert into bumper pool tables. Down the main corridor, just past the restaurant area, is the Wall of Honor dedicated to their veterans.
“We have a folded framed flag on the wall and pictures of all our veterans,” Collins says.
Included with the rent, residents receive three hot homemade meals a day as well as snacks and drinks available at the café. Each unit is also furnished with a microwave, mini-fridge, spacious closets and individual room thermostats. If residents need a ride to a doctor’s appointment, the barbershop or the town’s exercise facility, staff at Autumn Trace provides transportation.
“Amenity-wise, we’re so close to everything here in town,” Collins says.
Residents can relax in one of the four screened-in porches or lounge in one of the two large courtyards, complete with grill, fireplace and comfy outdoor furniture. Or they can play bingo, attend an exercise class or bake in the clubhouse.
“Families often reserve the clubhouse when they want to celebrate a birthday or some other occasion because it has a long farmhouse table and a beautiful chandelier,” Collins says. “Families can store food in the refrigerator and have a private meal together.”
The large facility feels even more expansive due to all the natural lighting that gushes in from the massive windows.
“The windows take up most of the wall,” Collins says. “They are just shy of being floor-to-ceiling.”
Another great design involves the size of the doorways, which are all 36 inches wide and ADA compliant to accommodate wheelchairs. In addition, walk-in showers have a bench that folds up and down as well as a hand-held shower so those sitting down can rinse themselves. To help prevent injuries, the building is one level.
“Once you hit the parking lot, there’s not a step throughout the facility,” says Collins, noting that another nice feature is the raised outlets so that residents don’t have to bend down as far.
For safety reasons, the facility has a system wherein residents may wear a pendant and, if an emergency arises, staff can find them.
Maintenance-free living means that residents’ rooms get cleaned weekly from top to bottom, including sweeping, dusting, disposing of trash and washing bed linens and towels. In addition, the facility has two large laundry rooms, enabling residents to do their own laundry. If they prefer, however, they can get their clothes laundered at a mobile payment laundry cleaning or a Laundry Pickup and Delivery Service. For a reasonable fee, they can avail a laundry delivery service which is very convenient and ideal for individuals who do not have time to do their own laundry.
The staff recognizes that needs fluctuate so they offer extra care services in an ala carte fashion. For instance, if a resident needs helping taking a shower, whether it’s once a day or twice a week, they pay per shower. Or perhaps they need assistance getting up and dressed in the morning, doing their hair, and making their bed. They can sign up for those things and be charged a flat monthly fee. For senior living options outside of Indiana, you can visit their website here.
“Say a resident goes into the hospital and when they get out, they need help getting up and going to bed,” Collins says. “Two weeks later, they may not need that service anymore so we only charge them for those two weeks.”
Autumn Trace recently celebrated their Grand Opening. They officially opened their doors on May 6 and are currently taking deposits. Come take a tour and see for yourself the beauty of worry-free living.
“Folks can pick whatever room best suits their wants and needs,” Collins says. “Our goal is to help our residents stay here for life because this is such a special place to call home.”
Autumn Trace is located at 2560 West Lake Ave. in Plymouth. For more information, call 574-540-2089 or visit them online at autumntracecommunities.com/locations/plymouth.
