In addition to fresh coats of paint, the Landing's lobby carpeting was pulled up and flooring put down to make it easier for those using walkers and wheelchairs. Bathtubs were switched out for showers with benches to make them easier to use.
The stovetops were removed from some of the kitchenettes as safety measures.
LEE, Mass. — The Landing at Laurel Lake has made renovations to its assisted living building to better help residents continue living with some independence.
Some of the changes include carpet removal, shifting tubs to walk-ins, and taking out some stovetops.
The Landing hosted an open house last Thursday for the community to come in and see the renovations.
"It's really bringing people in to see the renovations so they know that we have something really cool in our community," said Executive Director Matthew Pinto, a dementia specialist who was hired about six months ago.
"The importance of the new renovations is to modernize some things to make it simpler for them. Like the rooms, we are trying to do away with the transitions in the rooms for people that have wheelchairs."
Residents sometimes had trouble with the carpeting if using a walker or wheelchair, it's easier for some to walk into their shower, and the stovetops would sometimes be left on.
Pinto said the residents had a hand in the renovations, like helping choose paint colors and what they would like the facility change, which will help future residents with their stays.
"All the renovations had one thing in mind, how the residents can feel part of what's going on so really they were part of the decision making," he said.
The Landing at 600 Laurel St. has 53 units, 13 of which are special care. It houses a memory care unit that assists individuals with Alzheimer's and other dementia-related illnesses. It works in conjunction with adjancent Lee Healthcare, a skilled nursing and rehabilitation center.
Both for-profit facilities are owned by Next Step Healthcare, which operates more than a dozen assisted, skilled nursing and rehabilitation centers in the eastern part of the state.
This isn't the last of the renovations, said Pinto, the facility is also looking to add a spa area and salon/barbershop for residents to enjoy.
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King and Confidantes Debate Hope and Change in 'American Five'
By Alan PetrucelliSpecial to iBerkshires
STOCKBRIDGE, Mass. — Fiction and fact meld in the regional premiere of "The American Five," now playing at the Larry Vaber Stage of the Unicorn Theatre.
The play takes a fictionalized look at the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his four closest confidants in the months leading up to the famed March on Washington on Aug. 28, 1963. The quintet, through differing opinions, animated arguments, constant threats of violence and a late-night meal featuring challah bread and wine, become a family as they prepare for the history-making march that galvanized the Civil Rights movement.
Most of us know the King saga. It's the second act in which playwright Chess Jakobs' genius shines. Prejudice runs rampant here: Is Stanley Levison, a Jewish lawyer from New York who shows up in Montgomery to join the fight for racial equality and "to repair the world," viewed as white? Jewish? Both? And march strategist and organizer Bayard Rustin experiences his own fight for civil rights because of his homosexuality. Here, Jakob explores prejudice on different levels.
The cast is top-notch with many emotional highs. As King, Rashun Carter (who would look more like his character if he had a full moustache) and Sydney Elisabeth (as Coretta Scott King) are at their best during a scene that bounces between humor and poignancy.
She questions her husband about his meeting with President John F. Kennedy; he is angry and refuses to discuss it. "There is no 'you' out there, without a 'me,' in here," she says, leading King to agree that because of her self-worth and unwavering devotion to him, she is "Coretta Scott Queen."
As Clarence Jones, King's personal counsel, Brett Diggs has assurance and dignity; Harry Smith's portrayal of lawyer Stanley Levison, is nothing short of extraordinary. Destan Owens' performance as gay Bayard Rustin is the play's most outstanding performance as he defends his relations with men: "You don't get to judge me!" he tells King. "I'm just trying to find love."
"The American Five" is tightly directed by Gerry McIntyre; the historic period projections and footage/designed by Alex Hill remind people that there are dreams, such as hope and change, that are still being fought.
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