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LAKE ST. LOUIS, MO (KTVI)- Crews are putting the finishing touches on a new community in Lake St. Louis. It's a neighborhood designed especially for seniors.

The Cottages of Lake St. Louis, located at 2885 Technology Drive, is designed to offer a better model of nursing home. It will be the first Green House community in Missouri.

"When you say nursing home, everybody has something that comes to mind," said Christie Tutschulte. "We're trying to take all those things and just turn them on their head."

Each resident gets their own room and bathroom. There are large kitchens and dining areas. Each home has a spa and beauty station.

The ownership team said it strives to offer seniors state of the art facilities, but, more importantly, they aim to provide their residents with comfort and dignity as they transition into the next phase of life.

"In normal skilled nursing you might have 200 to 250 people in a home. We only have ten," said Al Beamer, chief executive officer of The Cottages of Lake St. Louis.

Beamer said each home has two designated caregivers for the residents. This allows the caregivers to get to know the residents on a personal level.

Beamer has been in the business of helping seniors for years. He accomplished a major overhaul at a senior living facility in University City.

"It was on the list of the 15 worst skilled nursing communities in the state when we took over," he said. "When we left it was a Medicare Five Star meaning the top ten percent in the country."

According to Christie Tutschulte with the Cottages of Lake St. Louis, everything in the community is built with purpose. She said studies show the long dining room table in each home encourages camaraderie and communication, and the open kitchen is built to be a central point in each home.

"You smell your coffee brewing in the morning. You hear the onions being chopped in the afternoon, and that again is just the familiar noise of life that you've always had your entire life, and why should that go away at this point?"

The local family-owned and operated skilled-nursing community caters to individuals as well as couples.

http://thegreenhouseproject.org

www.cottageslsl.com