Saturday, August 04, 2012
 
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Dedication of George D. Gahr Memory Care Center Monday

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[August 04, 2012]  The Christian Village Memory Care Center will be dedicated in memory of former Christian Homes CEO George Gahr on Monday at 10 a.m.

Gahr served the ministry of Christian Homes from 1966 to 2001, first as Christian Village administrator and then as long-time president and CEO of Christian Homes.

After an early preaching ministry, Gahr was hired in 1966 as the second administrator of the year-old Christian Nursing Home in Lincoln, which had been established by a group of visionary leaders from Christian churches in Logan and Sangamon counties.

"George was a humble man committed to the success of the Christian Nursing Home," recalled Charlotte Bennett, who worked closely with Gahr as a later administrator at the nursing home and in a variety of roles at the corporate office of Christian Homes. "He was not shy in seeking advice from experts in the field to continually improve how the home operated."

One challenge Gahr tackled head-on was the need to recruit more residents, Bennett said. He tirelessly took to the road to visit hospitals and churches within a 50-mile radius of Lincoln to spread the word about the care provided by the Christian Nursing Home. Slowly the census increased, allowing the ministry to become successful.

Gahr also recognized that the care given at the home in Lincoln was greatly needed in other parts of the state, Bennett noted. When Christian leaders in those locations desired similar homes in their communities, he picked up the ball and ran with it. He was excited about helping to bring Christian care to older adults in other locales, she said.

Always open to new and innovative ideas, Gahr embraced the idea of building senior living apartments on the Christian Nursing Home campus in the early 1970s, and this was a forerunner of what many other senior living communities later added, Bennett said.

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"George's faithfulness and passion in caring for older adults is an inspiration to those of us who follow in his footsteps and serve in this ministry," noted Tim Phillippe, current CEO of Christian Homes.

The memory care center at the Christian Village provides a safe, comfortable home for residents who have Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia. They're treated with compassion and respect in a structured environment that meets their needs.

Christian Village also offers short-term rehabilitation, respite care and hospice care. Garden homes and apartments also are available for independent older adults.

The Christian Village is one of the 14 senior living communities of Christian Homes, the second-largest not-for-profit long-term health care provider in the U.S., with campuses in Indiana, Illinois, Iowa and Missouri.

[Text from file received from Christian Village]

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