Goodnow Healthy Aging Center Will Begin New Era in Montana
Donors will shape how the Goodnow Healthy Aging Center supports seniors in our community staying healthy and independent. You can make your investment at Benefis.org/Foundation. Learn more about the center and follow progress at Benefis.org/HealthyAging.
A ski trip with his oldest son stopped architect Steve L’Heureux’s slide into a sedentary old age that put his body and mind at risk.
“I always considered myself athletic, but as I got older and settled into my profession, I had a staid lifestyle, unhealthy eating, drinking too much, doing all those things we do in midlife,” he said. “I didn’t know what to do.”
Steve’s son chided him for being so out of shape and suggested training for a triathlon. Steve couldn’t swim, but he signed up for a sprint triathlon anyway. It was the first step in changing what his retirement years would be. He’s physically healthy now, and he’s focusing on what he can do to keep his mind healthy, too.
Because of donor generosity and the encouragement of folks like Steve, Benefis broke ground in May on the Goodnow Healthy Aging Center, an innovative project that aims to bridge care gaps for patients who want to
stay fit, sharp, and active during their senior years.
One in four Montanans will be 65 and older by 2030. To serve this unique demographic and their health needs, Benefis asks for your help in establishing the Goodnow Healthy Aging Center.
This dedicated 15,000-square-foot outpatient clinic will address issues of nutrition, medication, cognitive health,
and mobility with dedicated specialists and services supporting health maintenance through aging, promoting patients’ continued independence.
The center plans to offer patients a comprehensive assessment of balance and mobility, cognitive status evaluation, genetic screening, medical history review, nutrition screening, specialized labs, medication management, and other services. That could mean the right interventions in time to help seniors continue doing what is most important to them – volunteering, being with their family, outdoor adventures, or whatever brings meaning.
Dr. Paul Dolan, one of the Benefis Health System leaders involved in the center's development, delayed his retirement to help shape the center.
“Our goal is optimizing the health and function of patients at all stages of aging,” he said. “We are talking about an approach to healthcare that is predictive, preventative, personalized, and participatory – the Four P’s developed by Dr. Lee Hood of the Weissman Hood Institute.”
Steve, who serves on the Benefis Foundation board, watched his mother’s slow, painful decline with Alzheimer’s disease. For himself, he hopes to tap into expertise, screenings, and the latest treatments when the center opens.
Steve’s mom passed away at the age he is now.
“I watched her go, and it was so hard. She was always so sharp,” he said. “It was so hard, and I don’t want that for my family.”
Steve says his father should have gotten her help earlier, but there were fewer treatment options and even less conversation around Alzheimer’s disease at that time. At his wife Carol’s prompting, Steve sought a diagnosis much earlier and learned he’d developed mild cognitive delay, which is often a precursor to Alzheimer’s and dementia.
“It took me back for about two hours,” he said. “Then I thought, let’s jump on that horse and ride. Let’s find out what we can do.”
Steve is nervous, but optimistic about what comes next for him.
“There are options that weren’t there before. With the Healthy Aging Center, we’ll have the ability to find out what’s going on. We’ll have the right people to help you get a diagnosis and learn how to deal with it. I don’t feel condemned with this diagnosis. I feel energized,” he said.
“I don’t know what’s next, but it could be good. I don’t feel like this is a death sentence. I can do an Iron Man, and I may not remember it later, but that is OK,” he added. “I have a lot of life to live. I want to see my grandsons, 5 and 2, graduate from college. I plan on being there.”
Learn more about the center and follow progress at Benefis.org/HealthyAging.
