Illinois Supportive Living Program a Blessing

The Maintenance Director at a Gardant affordable assisted living community shares story about his mother being a resident.

By Rick Banas of Gardant Management Solutions

Rick Meredith is the Maintenance Director at the Heritage Woods senior living community that Gardant manages in Centralia, Illinois, a town located in the south central part of the state, a little more than an hour east of St. Louis. The Heritage Woods of Centralia campus features senior living apartments, affordable assisted living apartments and villa homes for low-income adults 55 and older.

Rick’s mother was a resident in one of the affordable assisted living apartments for about a year before she passed away. Rick penned his thoughts about the experience. He gave us permission to share them with you in the hope, as he told me, that it might help people realize the Blessing that the Illinois Supportive Living program is to seniors, the difference it can make in the quality of life.

I will let his words continue to do the talking.

Mom grew up in Milwaukee and moved to Glendale, California during WWII, to work as a “Rosie the Riveter” on B-29 & P-38 aircraft. She met my Dad, a Marine Drill Instructor, who had served in the Pacific. She married him after two weeks.

After 40 years of marriage, Dad passed away 30 years ago. Mom continued to work and live on the family farm by herself. Needless to say, she had a very strong independent (STUBBORN) streak. Mom had a stroke four years ago and still continued to live on the family farm by herself.

After much resistance from her, I eventually moved Mom into Heritage Woods. While she lived at Heritage Woods for only around a year, her time here was truly a blessing. Not only was I around her more during the day, the knowledge that she was being taken care of 24/7 allowed us more time to enjoy her company when we were with her. The activities and friendship of her neighbors and those who were raised during the same era as she, helped to keep her active and alert.

In hindsight, doing our best to keep her home as long as possible, really did a disservice to her, as she really thrived on the daily (Hustle and Bustle) of the Heritage Woods Family.

We are all aware of the struggle that occurs when we begin looking at moving someone from their home (comfort zone) and placing them in what they consider a foreign environment. Yes, for around two months after placing Mom here I was considered the Devil, by her. But even during that time she enjoyed the activity around her.

Mom did tell me some time ago that I did a good job of taking care of her and having her say that really meant a lot. While it was a struggle to get her at first to accept the move, I truly believe that if we had done it sooner, her deteriorating mental and physical status would have been slowed and she would have had a better quality of life for longer period of time.

In closing, Rick thanked the staff at Heritage Woods of Centralia and Gardant Management Solutions. He also extended his thanks to the “people who had the vision to come up with such a great alternative to a nursing home. Not only do our seniors deserve this but the blessings that we receive from being able to interact with, care for and love the residents who come to stay with us, are immeasurable.”

“May God continue to Bless the Vision that is Heritage Woods,” he said.

Heritage Woods of Centralia is one of more than 140 communities in more than 70 Counties in Illinois that are certified to operate through the Illinois Supportive Living program. The communities serve individuals of all virtually incomes, including those on Medicaid, who need some help to maintain their independence.


All affordable assisted living communities managed by Gardant Management Solutions are certified and surveyed by the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services. All assisted living communities are licensed and surveyed by the Illinois Department of Public Health.

“Gardant Management Solutions is the leading provider of assisted living in Illinois and one of the 20 largest providers of assisted living in the United States.”

What are your thoughts? Leave a comment and let us know.

Gardant Management Solutions has 20+ years of industry-acclaimed operational history in developing, managing and consulting for senior living, assisted living and memory care communities.