The Canopy at Warner Robins

They broke ground to begin building in February 2019, and now that construction is complete, the affects of COVID-19 have slowed down the move-in process of its residents. In spite of that, The Canopy at Warner Robins, a new assisted living and memory care unit, is ready to open its doors and welcome Houston County seniors.

Although The Canopy is still a couple of days away from the Monday, May 4 official opening, the staff has been busy doing what it can to support essential workers in the health care field as well as the area’s elderly during this time of pandemic.

In recent weeks, with the help of the community, The Canopy collected much-needed cleaning supplies, and this week, they delivered those items to Houston Medical. “We had collected a ton of stuff,” Director of Sales Rebecca Chambers said. “The people at the hospital were so shocked at how many items they got.” As it turns out, what was delivered on Wednesday was the end result of something that began earlier as a much smaller effort.

“It started out with our chef, Becky McDonald,” Chambers said. “She has a friend that’s an ICU nurse at Houston Medical Center, and she had gotten word that they were short on cleaning supplies.” Chambers went on to say, “She and Director of Resident Services Laiea Robinson—whose dad had been in Houston Medical—came up with the idea to start collecting items to help with the supply shortage in the intensive care unit.”

Chambers pointed out that the initial collection was one that they did not publicize or market, because it was exclusively being done to help a friend whose medical specific medical department was in need. After that time, The Canopy broadened its scope. “We gave them the first batch of donations, and then we decided—let’s help the whole hospital; let’s try to push this further,” Chambers said. “So, we started an official drive and with that one, communities and health care companies would come in and donate stuff every day.” She further stated, “People drove from as far as Dublin to come here and donate; the support—especially from Warner Robins, Macon and Dublin—has been amazing.”

In speaking more about The Canopy at Warner Robins and its purpose, Chambers said, “Although we’re licensed for 72, we have a total of 64 apartments and suites here.” She indicated that the units are going fast despite the fact that the community has not yet officially opened. “As of now, 55 residents have already reserved rooms,” Chambers revealed. “We only have 16 spaces still available.”

According to Chambers, no other assistant living places in Houston County currently offer the services of The Canopy. “We are completely different. There’s nothing like this place, and I’ve worked in a lot of assistant living places in central Georgia,” she stated. “Here, we have bars and bistros, indoor and outdoor dining, putting greens, a fenced-in dog park, private dining areas and a gym. We also have manicure and pedicure stations, spa beds and a salon.”

In addition to having outstanding amenities, Chambers said that The Canopy is aiming to set the bar for quality patient care. “We staff licensed nurses, which makes us different from most. We prefer this because the nurses are [accredited] with the state, and they’re held to a higher accountability in how they treat residents, realizing that the mistreatment of them could result in the state revoking their license.”

The Canopy at Warner Robins is built specifically for seniors who are ages 55 and older. The facility offers four different floor plans for the assistant living side, which range from a studio apartment to a one-bedroom with a living room. Chambers pointed out that, “We’re the only community that provides a kitchenette with a full size stainless steel refrigerator and freezer. Every resident has his or her own bathroom with a walk-in shower,” she further noted. “They also have linen closets, and some of the floor plans have full walk-in closets that are bigger than the ones you find in normal residential homes.”

For the additional safety of dementia and Alzheimer’s residents, Chambers cited that the memory care unit at The Canopy is locked and secured. She also pointed out that the memory care unit and the assistant living area each have their own courtyard. “The courtyard in the memory care unit is Astroturf,” she explained. “That’s a much softer surface in the event of a fall.”

The prices of the apartments and suites vary, and Chambers said The Canopy is private pay. However, if the resident has a long-term care insurance policy, that policy will usually pay the room rates. Additionally, veterans and spouses of veterans can apply for the VA Aid & Attendance Benefit, and if they qualify, the VA will send a check that the resident can use to pay rental fees.

Prior to COVID-19, Chambers shared that residents were moving in at a more rapid pace than they have been since the pronouncement of the disease. “We were doing much quicker move-ins before the virus,” she said. “Now, we want to be more cautious and take it slower, so we’re only doing one to two move-ins per day.” Chambers also made it known that they are following CDC restrictions as they proceed. “When residents move in, they are quarantined to their room for 14 days. During that time, we’ll keep a check on their temperature and look for any other symptoms.”

If the residents would like to come out of their rooms for activities or just to get fresh air during that time, Chambers said it is allowed as long as they are showing no symptoms of the virus. “They have to abide by social distancing guidelines and allow at least six-feet of space between themselves and others,” she explained. “And while visitors are not allowed into the community at this time because of CDC restrictions, our builders actually built a screened-in porch that wasn’t in the builder’s book. That was done so that families could still come and visit their loved ones while under the CDC restrictions.”

While the grand opening of The Canopy at Warner Robins is the primary focus right now, Chambers is not counting out the possibility that more supply drives may be in their future. “Before we even did the drives for cleaning supplies, we got together and drove around delivering toilet paper, fruit and snacks to seniors, so of course, continuing what we’ve started is something we can look into,” she said. “We may be able to do more and see who else needs help. As The Canopy opens, we’ll be looking at some things that we can do to continue to be a help to others in need, especially during this pandemic. We’re very excited about what’s to come.”

SRI Management, based in Tallahassee, Florida, manages The Canopy. The Canopy at Warner Robins is the first design to be built in the state of Georgia. Limited spaces remain available for reservation, and both in-person and virtual tours are available. Those interested may visit the website at: thecanopyatwarnerrobins.com.

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