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Today’s show is dedicated to the Emory Healthcare’s Wesley Woods campus. The Wesley Woods campus is a pristine, wooded 64 acre piece of property near Emory University in Atlanta. In the early 50s, the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church had a mission to take care of older adults, especially the poor. To that end, the conference passed a resolution to build its first residential retirement community, Wesley Woods Towers, which opened in 1965. Seven years later in 1972, Budd Terrace, a skilled nursing and subacute rehab center opened. This was followed by the construction of the only free standing geriatric hospital in the country.
Joining us today are six members of the Wesley Woods team, representing a variety of its facilities and disciplines. Joyce Wilson is the Administrator of Wesley Woods Towers, a 200 unit independent living community. She has been with Wesley Woods for nearly 40 years! She was joined today by one of her residents, Dr. Joyce Meyers-Brown. Dr. Meyers-Brown had been a minister in South Africa in her career. She and her husband retired to Decatur, and later decided to move to a retirement community. After looking at several, they chose Wesley Woods Towers. She loves the spirit of community, as well as the quiet waling trails throughout the campus.
Carly Ortlund is the Director of Admissions at Budd Terrace. Carly’s job is to facilitate a person’s transition into and out of the facility. Faced with the reality of social work after she graduated from the University of Georgia, Carly tells us that Bud Terrace rejuvenated her spirit about nursing homes. She loves the staff that is so focused on the well-being of its residents and their families.
Dr. Doris Armour, MD, went to med school in St. Louis to become a primary care physician. Upon moving to Atlanta, she immediately took a position at Wesley Woods. Today she is the Medical Director for the Wound Therapy Clinic. Dr. Armour tells us that the Wound Therapy Clinic at Wesley Woods treats wounds that are chronic in nature, and are generally caused by other healthcare issues. Dr. Armour was joined from the clinic by Marion Waugh, a Certified Wound, Ostomy, Continence Nurse Specialist who moved to Atlanta from Canada in 2004. Marion also acknowledges that she loves the community spirit of the entire Wesley Woods campus.
Finally, though not present for the show this morning, we wish to extend a special thanks to Kristi Sullivan, without whom this show would not have been possible. Kristi invited each of the guests, and arranged a schedule that worked for all involved. Kristi is the Senior Outreach Liaison Market Development for the Wesley Woods campus. Thank you, again, Kristi!
We also want to thank Griswold Special Care for sponsoring today’s show. Griswold Special Care has been a preferred provider of high quality, affordable in-home senior care in Dallas and Atlanta for nearly 20 years.
