Sycamore Springs brings independence to assisted living in Mountain Home

When Nick Arnold, Lance Gross, and Dr. Tim Paden got together two years ago to create a new senior assisted living home in Mountain Home, they set out with the goal of revolutionizing senior care.

The trio envisioned a large modern facility that let its seniors spread out, have privacy, and still maintain control of their own lives despite living under the roof of a facility.

They wanted to create a home, a place that broke away from the corporate assisted living centers that house millions of Americans every year—a place where its members felt safe and comfortable at the same time.

“In assisted living traditional models, they, being large corporations, do it the same way,” said Nick Arnold of Sycamore Springs Senior Living. “They may call it something different, but it’s 8 o’clock is breakfast, 12 o’clock is lunch, 5 o’clock is supper. Here, they eat when they want. From seven to seven, our dining room is open.”

Sycamore Springs officially broke ground on its building in Aug. 2020 before fully opening one year later.

The 36,000 square foot facility features restaurant-style dining, 47 apartments of varying sides, a workout and physical therapy room, a wine bar, a private track and putting green, and direct access to Mountain Home’s McCabe Park.

All food is made to order and comes from a special, always available menu.

“It absolutely could not be any better,” said Mary Ann Remington, a resident at Sycamore Springs. “It excels in everything, especially the fact that we can eat whenever.”

Residents at Sycamore Springs can pick from various apartments that scale up in size and pricing. Single residents can enjoy a smaller 400 square foot studio apartment with an entryway, kitchenette, eating area, living room, bedroom, closet, and separate bathroom.

For those living with a spouse or who may want more room, a 470 square foot deluxe apartment is also available. The deluxe apartment features an entryway, living room, kitchenette, and eating area are in a large room. The bedroom and closet are in a room that can fit a full or queen-size bed and dresser. Further, it features a separate bathroom.

In addition, Sycamore Springs offers the “Suite,” the largest of its three options. The suite comes in at 525 feet and includes the same features as the deluxe model but with more space. Its bedroom can easily fit a king-size bed.

“I love it. I couldn’t be at a better place,” said Lucy Monger, one of the first residents to move into Sycamore Springs upon its opening. “I’m very thankful to be here. It’s great, and everybody is nice. I have macular degeneration and can’t see very good, and I’m not able to stay by myself. It’s just great being here, and I recommend it to anybody.”

The assisted living home helps residents keep track of their medications and contact their personal physicians when needed.

Dr. Tim Paden, a family practitioner in Mountain Home, and Lance Gross, owner of GTS Physical Therapy, are available to assist residents with their medical and physical therapy needs.

“We want to make sure that they are safe to stay here because it is independent for the most part,” said Daisy Holstine, director of care for Sycamore Springs. “We also offer to take care of their medication. So we get in contact with the physicians, reconcile their medications, and then if they need to reorder medications, we handle that.”

Daisy Holstine, director of care for Sycamore Springs, poses for a photo inside of her office. The assisted living facility offers residents a mostly independent lifestyle, but will help residents with the doctor’s appointments and medications as needed. Photo by Chris Fulton/MHO.

An inside shot of Sycamore Springs 400 square foot studio apartment. The facility offers three different floors plans of various sizes for residents to choose from. Photo by Chris Fulton/MHO.

Lucy Monger poses for a photo inside of her home at Sycamore Springs Senior Living. Monger is one of the facility’s first residents to move in after its official opening in 2021. Photo by Chris Fulton/MHO.

COVID-19 is handled safely at the facility, with separate rooms available for those that need to quarantine.

Apple iPad’s are provided to all residents living in the assisted living home, allowing them to contact family and friends while quarantined. Sycamore Springs also offers virtual tours of museums around the world for its residents.

Daily activities, events and weekly food menus, are planned and created through resident led committees.

“Through that, we can communicate with them, and they can communicate with us,” Arnold said. “So they are able to see any activities. Dining. They can do exercises or livestream activities on this, so it gives them a way to stay active.”

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, there are 28,900 assisted living facilities spread throughout the U.S., providing approximately 996,100 beds for the 918,730 Americans currently living in those facilities nationwide.

Of those 28,900 facilities, 77.9% are under profit ownership. The South accounts for 28% of all assisted living in the U.S., coming in second place behind the western expanse of the nation, which hosts over 40.8% of all assisted living facilities.

Mountain Home is currently listed as the fourth-best city in Arkansas for affordable assisted living on Senior Living Near Me, with the average cost running at an average of $3,350 monthly.

“The residents are like my grandparents,” Holstine said. “I lost one, and now I get to have many, and I think that’s how you would want, if your family moved in here, to be treated.”

Sycamore Springs Senior Living is located at 165 Jerry Baker Lane in Mountain Home, Arkansas. For more information, please contact (870) 353-9675.