Franke Tobey Jones is in the final months of building a nearly 65,000 square-foot skilled-nursing and memory care building on the retirement community’s campus in North Tacoma.
The building, which is scheduled to open in July, will be home to 43 skilled-nursing residents on the top floor and 28 memory care residents on the lower level.
“This will not be your grandma’s nursing home,†said Christine Hall-Werner, senior director of marketing for Franke Tobey Jones. “One of the main reasons is because it will not look or feel like your standard institutional skilled-nursing facility. The new healthcare center and memory care community†will have “small pods of rooms clustered around open living spaces where residents and family can enjoy quality time together. And nearly all the rooms will be private suites.â€
Other features that Hall-Werner said will set the new facility apart include:
• Each resident room will house a locked cabinet where the resident’s medications will be kept. There won’t be medication carts in hallways or a typical nursing station.
• Meals will be prepared on-site and served in dining rooms.
• Patios, abundant windows, plants and water features for a home-like feel.
The building’s architecture is classic Tudor style, an extension of the extensive campus’ look and feel, Hall-Werner said.
A capital campaign in support of the new addition to Franke Tobey Jones has a goal of $5 million. Leaders of the campaign, which started in 2017, announced in April a $1 million donation from Whisper Foundation, part of the Gary E. Milgard Family Foundation. The foundation awards grants to organizations that work to improve quality of life through health and other services.
Additional information about the campaign and suite reservations is available at 253-752-6621 and www.franketobeyjones.com.
Established in 1924, Franke Tobey Jones is a not-for-profit organization that also offers independent and assisted-living communities. Also opening this summer will be a new 16-unit luxury apartment building for independent living. The 47,000 square-feet structure will include underground parking and 10 units with views of Puget Sound.
The apartments, half of which were sold by April, range in size from 1,300 to 1,575 square feet, with monthly rents of $4,600 to $5,000 and an entrance fee between $195,000 and $250,000.