Tapestry of Life: Westgate Village celebrates

Published 10:08 am Tuesday, May 13, 2025

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The staff at Westgate Village is constantly working on their “Tapestry of Life” with the care and love shown to residents at the local long-term nursing care facility.
With May 11 through 17 observed as National Skilled Nursing Home Care Week, members of the Westgate staff spoke of the 2025 theme being a part of their every day life at the facility.
Nikki Duncan, director of Social Services for Westgate, said the residents offer an opportunity to learn something new each day creating a tapestry for other residents and staff members.
“We have such a varied group of residents here,” Duncan said. “We learn something from them on a daily basis. Depending on the era they grew up in, they have different ways of doing things and teach us those things in our talks with them.”
Andrea Ladnier, director of nursing for the facility, said caring for residents is more than just their medical care.
“We take a holistic approach with our residents here,” Ladnier said. “We include what we know about their home life, their past occupation, their family and their preferences when caring for each individual. We take into consideration their likes and preferences and put all those pieces of the puzzle together to provide care for the whole person.”
Ladnier said the “tapestry” theme isn’t just about the residents at Westgate.
“We have a tapestry of employees here as well,” Ladnier said. “We are Brewton community family taking care of our family here. Even though some of our residents are from outside of Brewton, there is always a connection and they are our family. We have residents who have been nurses, doctors, school teachers, lumber mill workers, housewives — all of those faces and lives come together to make a colorful tapestry of residents.”
Letha Harrison-Mallard, admissions coordinator at Westgate, said the staff thinks of the residents as part of the large family that is Westgate Village.
“They are all family here,” Harrison-Mallard said. “All of our staff and our residents love each other and look after each other. When we find a resident here that reminds us of a parent or grandparent, we just find a connection and love the whole person.”
When providing care for the residents, staff members often find outlets for entertainment, exercise and basic life living throughout the week and all year long.
“We do provide some outside activities for the residents,” Ladnier said. “Recently, we took some of the residents for a private lunch at Drexell & Honeybee’s Restaurant. They loved it. There are also outings to things like the Christmas parade, high school homecoming parades, concerts at the college and other places that allow the residents to enjoy the community around them. These are the things that the residents have memories of and can share that with local folks in the community.”
Westgate Village is also pleased to be able to offer care in a special Dementia Care Unit.
“We have a 20-bed care facility for dementia patients,” Harrison-Mallard said. “There aren’t many in our area and we are happy to be able to provide that level of care. It takes special training, patience and compassionate care and we have a staff that is able to provide that care.”
Many residents enjoy visits from family and friends day in and day out, however, some residents have limited family near by that allows for daily, weekly or even just a monthly visit.
“For those who don’t have family around, we are their family,” Ladnier said. “The most important thing the residents need is time. Spending some time with them is important to understand their overall needs.”
Duncan said many residents are looking for some simple things that make them feel independent and in control of their own lives.
“We have residents who enjoy some small, simple things that we might take for granted in our own lives,” Duncan said. “The simple things we can provide for them give them a sense of independence. Just little basic goods, like their own loaf of bread for a midnight sandwich, a can of potted meat, or just a little trinket of costume jewelry to make them feel pretty can go a long way for the residents. It gives them a level of respect and a level of independence that we can help provide. Sometimes, it’s easy to forget those daily human needs.”
With nurses providing most of the care for the residents, many other staff members are involved in making sure those at Westgate Village understand they are cared for and are part of a family.
“We have more than 170 staff members here that do work that makes the residents’ lives better,” Ladnier said. “Our CNAs and nurses get to know so many fine details about our residents that they can anticipate their needs and are aware of their preferences. With that knowledge, it can be communicated to other members of our staff from our dietary team to others that allows the staff to treat everybody with respect and proper care.”
Visits from people outside the staff of Westgate are always welcome, Ladnier said.
“We have groups who come in and play music and sing and the residents love it,” Ladnier said. “Sometimes just having a visitor come and read to a resident or just sit for a little talk on the porch brightens everyone’s day.”
For those who would like to visit any of the residents at Westgate or provide some of those “basic everyday needs,” contact the Social Services department for a list of needs or a time when an individual or group visit would be best. You can reach Westgate Village at 867-6007.

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