The average patient stays about three months, is stabilized, then is released back to the prior facility. The patient population is always changing, Bender said. The staff works to make the patients' stay as comfortable as possible, Bender said. Because older patients have a tendency to wander, the facility is shaped like a horseshoe. The wide hallways give patients room to walk, but they can't get far.
Courtyards dot the grounds and offer opportunities for fresh-air breaks.
The patients are divided into groups according to the level of care they need. Some patients suffer severe dementia while others are able to venture outside the hospital as part of chaperoned groups. Bender said that outings have included walks, shopping and fishing. The staff works to do everything possible to help the patients improve their lives, she said. And there are all sorts of opportunities for volunteers to help at the hospital, said assistant nursing director Barry Blakeney.