Personal care homes opening in Unity may have the most luxurious and expensive suites in Westmoreland County.
April 1st marks the debut of the fountain at Latrobe after approximately 10 months of construction and interior preparation.
The flat monthly fee for Fountains’ standard suites starts at just under $6,000. The facility has four large suites each capable of accommodating senior couples.
“I think that’s pretty much,” said Mercy Colkitt, Fountains developer in Indiana County. She said the price includes all services other than on-site beauty salons, with an emphasis on personalized attention.
There are many other personal care homes in the area, offering a variety of levels of service. The Senior Online Resource Center ranges from $1,700 to $5,150 per month, with an average cost of $4,870. However, the local median is not at the state average. Long-term care finance company Genworth reported that in 2024 the average cost of living assistance in Pennsylvania was $5,550 a month, an increase of 35.37% since its last report in 2021.
Colkitt said some senior residents will be relocating from the local community to a 22-room unified facility. One will relocate from South Carolina in May.
“A lot of people moving here keep their homes,” she said. “Usually they move closer to their families.”
The initial phase of the fountain covers 15,000 square feet on the first floor. The foundations will be on the ground of an adjacent secured memory care unit of similar size, expected to be completed by the end of the year.
The fountain centers around a great room that includes social and dining areas separated by double-sided fireplaces.
“We cannot overstate the value of socialization,” said Colkit, a health care attorney who runs similar personal care facilities in Indiana and DuBois. “It’s more fun when you’re eating with someone else.”
She said residents and their families are forming new friendships at other establishments, given the relatively small numbers.
The fountain holds birthday celebrations for residents and stays overnight by grandchildren.
“It’s going to be very close,” said Vince Gamble, project manager for Colkitt’s The Fountains Group.
Colquitt’s son, Paul Castro, is on hand as Executive Director of Unity Facility after his previous duties as the care facility manager with up to 200 residents. He moved from Fort Myers, Florida to Greensburg and took on a new role.
“In other fountain facilities, you can see that staff know the residents quite well. They know the inside and out about them. “That’s not something you get the opportunity to do with skilled nursing all the time.”
Castro will begin operations at the Unity facility with about 10 staff members. This includes a nutrition services director and a small number of kitchen employees.
Kolkit said there was no set time for breakfast.
At her other establishment, she said “many men like Minute Steaks and eggs for breakfast,” but among female residents, “avocado toast is a big deal.”
Once warm weather arrives, a barbecue is planned on the outdoor deck.
Residents may not need to venture beyond facilities for daily medical care. Colkitt said practitioners and therapists will visit, mobile x-ray units will be available and full-time nurses will oversee medication management.
“Family goes back to family, not caregivers,” she said.
Repurposing includes games, painting sessions, songbird enclosures and live entertainment.
“We have a huge focus on music,” she said, “We encourage people to keep moving and continue to incorporate those steps.”
Colkit served as her own general contractor for the construction of the Latrobe Fountain at Starlight Court on Arnold Palmer Drive. After visiting dozens of recently built care homes in Florida, she came up with the facility’s design concept. She then turned to Young and Associates, an Indiana-based engineering company.
“They helped me understand how to put it on paper,” she said.
Amish builders in the Dayton area of Armstrong County handled much of the construction, including finishing on wood framing, roofing and crown molding.
Rose Bertolino of Homer City, former owner of the Agway store in Indiana, will assist in landscaping.
Colkit handled the decor and provided pictures of scenes from French streets hanging over a central fireplace.
“We’re trying to make it clean and elegant, but comfortable,” she said.
Jeff Himmler is a three-person reporter covering school districts and their communities in the Greater Latrobe, Lygonier Valley, Pleasant Area and Delhi area. He also reports on transportation issues. A journalist for over 30 years, he enjoys delving into local history. He can contact jhimler@triblive.com.
