This $150,000 + project consists of the construction of a 670 square foot sunroom connected to the entrance lobby of the Benjamin Borden Health Center, Kendal at Lexington's licensed nursing facility which serves the greater Lexington community.  With three walls dominated by windows and a dozen skylights on the roof, this sunroom will provide an oasis where residents of the nursing home can participate in group activities or simply enjoy the sunlight, which has been proven to alleviate depression in older people.  The sunroom, accessed through the existing entrance lobby, will be built on the southwest side of the building, providing views of some of the adjacent pastures of Sunnyside Farm.  In addition, the outdoor area surrounding the sunroom is at a slightly lower level than Kendal Drive which borders one side, providing an excellent protected area for future development of a small garden area with outdoor seating. The sunroom was designed by the Lexington architecture firm Kirchner & Associates. In the photo, standing from left to right, are Kimberly Snyder, Administrator for Health Services, Borden Center; Rusty Ford, Board of Supervisors; Hardin Marion, Chair, Kendal at Lexington Board of Directors; Beth Thompson, President, Kendal at Lexington's Residents Association; and Sammy Moore, Executive Director, Chamber of Commerce.

Funding for the sunroom addition has come from a variety of sources, with the largest single contribution of $40,000 coming in the form a challenge grant from The Cabell Foundation based in Richmond.  In addition to dozens of gifts from individuals, contributions were also received from the Lexington Presbyterian Church, the Gadsden Fund of R.E. Lee Episcopal Church, the SunTrust Mid-Atlantic Foundation, the Carilion Foundation, Kendal Charitable Funds and the Rockbridge Area Community Foundation.  Residents of the Borden Center and Kendal at Lexington, along with family members and staff, also raised funds through bake sales, hot dog sales and craft sales.  The sunroom is part of a larger improvement project which will eventually include a covered entrance for the nursing home.  Fundraising for the covered entrance project continues.

The Benjamin Borden Health Center, opened in 2002 as a licensed nursing facility certified for both Medicare and Medicaid, also accepts private pay residents.  In recent years, an annual average of 150 Rockbridge County residents have received either short or long term nursing care services at the Borden Center, with many of them also receiving outpatient therapy services following discharge to home.  About a third of the center’s residents are supported by the state-run Medicaid program for the medically indigent.

The sunroom addition will add another facet to the culture change initiative presently underway in the Borden Center, which is moving the organization’s model of care away from an institutional, medical model toward a person-centered, household model.  Other recent aspects of this initiative include the implementation of a breakfast buffet with expanded hours and the establishment of neighborhoods with a consistent assignment staffing model.

Information about Kendal at Lexington is available by calling (540) 464-2601 or toll free (800) 976-8303, or by e-mailing admissions@kag.kendal.org. Visit the web site at www.kal.kendal.org.