Sunporch Announces Expansion Campaign

​In October of 2019, Sunporch of Smith County excitedly moved elders from the old nursing home to their newly built, small homes on the new Sunporch campus.   As part of the Green House Project, the model for long-term care at Sunporch returns control, dignity and a sense of well-being to elders, their families and direct care staff. In the Green House model, elders live in small, self-contained homes organized to deliver individualized care and meaningful relationships.
 
Julie Troy, Fund Development and Life Enrichment Coordinator, shared “It has been an amazing 3 years.  Relationships have been built and lives have been enriched between our team, elders, and families.  The pandemic was rough, but it brought us all closer and made us even more thankful for our small home design.”  The small homes are intentionally designed with private, elder bedrooms and bathrooms surrounding an open living, dining, and kitchen area.   The layout encourages interactions as would happen in a family home, merging quality of care with quality of life.
 
Sunporch of Smith County is planning an expansion that would add an additional 4 rooms to each of the small homes.  Since moving to the new small homes, Sunporch of Smith County has continued to remain 99.9% full and now has a large waiting list.  “We now have 40 people on our waiting list interested in moving to Sunporch.  The only time we aren’t 100% full at Sunporch is the few days needed for families to remove personal items when an elder no longer resides at Sunporch.  We are respectful of the need for that time.  With the expansion, more elders will be able to receive the person-centered care we provide at Sunporch.” said Troy.
 
Troy continued, “We are early in the process of what this expansion will look like, but we are very excited!  Architects are very aware of the need to continue the small home feel and design.  Our initial timeline is to finalize architectural drawings, obtain cost estimates, and begin a fundraising campaign within the next couple of months.  The community was incredibly supportive when Sunporch was initially built, and we are encouraged that this support will continue to help with part of the funding for this expansion as well.” 
 
For more information about Sunporch of Smith County or the expansion plans, feel free to contact Julie Troy at (785) 282-6722.