Aurora Health Upgrading Brittany Farms with Purchase
By David Huck | Correspondent at February 22, 2024 | 8:00 am | Print
The 282-bed nursing home facility, formerly known as Brittany Farms, is under new ownership and the president of the company says upgrades and other changes are planned.
HSC Community Services Inc., which purchased the site from Brittany Farms Pavilion Inc in 1997 for $10.78 million, sold the property to Maryland-based Aurora Health Management for $8.1 million on Oct. 1, according to online records.
The 7.45-acre property on Brittany Farms Road features a 100,259 square foot building that was built in 1974. The nursing home has an appraised value of $8.06 million and has been named Aurora Senior Living of New Britain. The company offers around the clock nursing services, as well as physical, occupational, and speech therapy.
“Aurora saw an opportunity to continue the good work taking place at Brittany Farms, and to improve on that in order to provide peace of mind and a superior quality of life to those entrusted to our care,” Aurora President Stanley Snow said of the acquisition.
Snow said the company will upgrade the interior decorations and “create a home like atmosphere” for residents. He said the prior owner removed all of the wall coverings in the facility, but that new ones will be purchased. The current occupancy rate at the facility is 96 percent.
“Further, Aurora has brought the level of medical supplies kept in the facility up to the proper level,” he said. “Aurora Health Management can offer the talents of a management team who, in their own area of expertise, will provide daily hands-on management in the operation and administration of the facility.”
The company also operates facilities in Cromwell, East Hartford, Waterbury, and Norwalk, as well as in New Hampshire and Maryland.
“Aurora brings a level of experience and support that was not previously available to Brittany Farms,” Snow said. “In the short time Aurora has been there, we have already witnessed improved clinical outcomes.”
The facility employees around 300 workers and the “vast majority” of those that were hired under HSC have remained with Aurora, Snow said.
He said the company has an “experienced rehabilitation team” that is “committed to providing outstanding results and excellent quality of care.” Services include 24-hour nursing care, restorative nursing care, post-acute care, wound care, IV therapy, pain management, respite care, and hospice care.
“In the spirit of partnership with our patients and residents we design care plans that embrace individual preferences, desires and wishes to the best of our ability,” Snow said. “Residents are empowered through individualized programs to reach goals of increased independence and ability. Resident families are also encouraged to participate in therapy sessions, caregiver education, and training.”
Other services include Alzheimer’s care, where nurses work with the family of a client to create a comfortable environment that includes “simple routines and visual cues as a positive substitute for diminishing mental processes,” Snow said.
Diabetes management, in which nurses help with blood glucose monitoring, insulin administration and tracking, exercise plans, menu planning, education and other items is also provided.
Under the “restorative nursing program,” which Snow says is a service included in the room and board fee, a therapy team and nursing staff develop individualized treatment plans in a variety of areas. These include walking, range of motion, activities of daily living, skin integrity, social dining, strengthening, and weekly weight and height monitoring. Additional services include meals that meet specific dietary and therapeutic needs, regular nutrition assessments, and physical therapy.
“Our physical therapy team works toward specific goals of achieving the resident’s highest functional level of independence,” Snow said. “Physical therapy focuses on identification and rehabilitation of individuals with physical impairment and pain, as well as future injury prevention. Following evaluation, our experienced physical therapists develop an individualized treatment program. The goal is to achieve safety in a variety of areas.”
Therapists are also available to help residents master essential tasks of every day living. Those with debilitating arthritis will be assisted in tasks like bathing and dressing. Speech therapy is offered to those residents who may have had communication disrupted due a stroke, brain, injury, dementia, and other neurological disorders.
