Tom and Jamie Pataky of New Haven are bringing an independent living facility to the former nursing home building in Gerald. The couple hopes to have Cornerstone Living Center open for business in a few weeks.

Jamie says the center will be run as a mom and pop operation, not as one of a syndicate run by out-of-state owners.

The Patakys already run two similar facilities, Arizona Care Center in New Haven and Sunshine Care Acres in Bourbon.

The 60-bed facility will offer four to five private rooms with rest serving two residents.

Assisted living is intended for people who are able to care for themselves for the most part. Around 25 to 30 staff members will be on hand to assist with bathing, handing out medication and other oversight.

Two of the four halls inside Cornerstone have been reserved for developmentally disabled adults. The other two will be occupied by older adults.

Residents are free to come and go as they wish. Some have their own transportation, others will be transported by a company van or relatives. Some will leave for the weekend to visit family, while others will stay at the facility most of the time.

Jamie says several of her developmentally disabled residents in the other facilities are employed by places such as the Empac Group in Sullivan or attend activities through the Rainbow Activities Center in Union. She expects that trend to continue in the Gerald facility.

Cornerstone will offer several amenities to its residents. These include an in-house gym, a small library, a private room for counseling sessions, a communal large screen television and an outdoor smoking area. Three meals and two snacks a day are also provided. For those who do not drive, regular shopping trips and other outings will be provided.

Many of the beds in the facility have already been spoken for. Jamie notes that some of those residents have indicated a desire to go to church, but would need transportation to attend. She urges local churches to contact her if they could provide a ride to their services. She notes that many of her current residents love to get involved in the community and hopes that they find the opportunity to do the same in Gerald.

Jamie said she would like to hire six to ten more staff members for various positions.

The recent flash flooding that occurred her a few weeks ago, also affected Cornerstone. The landscaping had been completed, but was mostly washed away in the storms. Flooding caused other damage that needed to be attended to.

Most of the repairs have been completed, deliveries have been made and a final sweep and polish is the biggest item left to do. But anyone who has ever opened a business knows that in the final days the to do list seems to get longer rather than shorter.

A final state inspection is expected to be done within the week. After that, it’s just a matter of moving the new residents into their new home.

You may call Cornerstone Living Center at 573-764-5141.