Highlighting Howard Co. Business
Providing a caring home away from home; Big Spring Center for Skilled Care
When the time is reached for a loved one to safely reside in their own home on their own, or in the midst of a life event which requires a little bit of extra care, Big Spring Center for Skilled Care is ready, willing and able to help care for your loved ones.
“There is always a need for care in every community, whether it be short term or long term, depending on what stage of life you are in,” Christy Brownfield, Director of Marketing for Big Spring Center for Skilled Care, said. “The population of the elderly is growing every year and the need for families to have a little help caring for their loved ones in a safe and secure environment helps them feel at ease.”
Big Spring Center for Skilled Care opened their doors on Jan. 15, 2015 and has been providing care to families in the Howard County area since then. The facility offers inpatient care and outpatient physical and occupational therapy. Currently, outpatient services are suspended due to the pandemic. Skilled care services – short term and long term options - are also available for inpatients. The facility is part of the Creative Solution family and Shelli Ogburn serves as local administrator.
“We have a wonderful therapy staff who is driven by their determination to get the patient back to where they are independent in their home or in their facility. Through their care and support, the healing process and road to recovery can be a smooth one.”
“We would love to take care of you or your loved ones,” Brownfield said. “We have many ways to help, from inpatient to outpatient services – when we are not in a pandemic – and we provide 24 hour nursing care.”
While the Covid-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the services offered by the facility, the
biggest impact has been on the residents and their families. With the Governor’s orders limiting visitation inside the facility, Big Spring Center for Skilled Care and numerous other care facilities had to get creative and find new ways for loved ones to stay connected. Recently, BSCSC has been able to welcome visitors back into the facility which has truly helped the residents.
“It has been very stressful and challenging to many. We have tried to stay ahead of all the rules and regulations that change daily,” she said. “Our number one goal is to keep our residents safe.”
Brownfield continued, “The biggest impact was felt by our families when the announcement was made that visits would not be allowed. While this came as an unwelcome announcement to us at the facility, we understand the hard blow it dealt to the families. We were able to get creative, brought new ideas to the table and through the use of technology we were able to keep families connected.”
As for many facilities, Facebook, Facetime, Zoom and Video calls became a common form of connection for residents. Each phone call helped fill the gap that had been created with the lock down of facilities across the nation.
“Depression was a struggle, but to help offset and keep the residents from slipping into that, we planned new activities, scheduled frequent phone calls, window visits when allowed, and other interactive avenues that the residents could get involved in,” Brownfield said. “The pandemic has taught us all how to do thing differently and live differently. We all had to have an open mind and it’s through us being able to pull together and form a united front that we have been able to get through this. The pandemic has taught us that it truly does
take a village to care for our residents.”
She continued, “One of the biggest blessings that has taken place since first opening our doors in 2015 is the ability to grow our family with our residents and their families. This year, we learned even more how important that connection and support of our community truly is. Being involved in the community and forming lasting partnerships and relationships has been a huge help in getting through this and we realized just how blessed we are.”
While there are still challenges to be navigated through as the community along with the rest of the nation continues to combat the pandemic, Big Spring Center for Skilled Care continues to place their residents and loved ones first.
“It is hard and challenging at times; it has its ups and down like any business does, but we are learning from our mistakes and fixing them immediately and striving to be the best we can be.”
For more information about Big Spring Center for Skilled Care, visit www.bigspringcenterforskilledcare.com or call 432-606-5012 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Big Spring Center for Skilled Care is located at 3701 Wasson Road.