Odgen Standard Examiner Article

Farr West nurse runs care 

home out of her residence

By Jamie Lampros, Standard-Examiner correspondent

Friday, December 10, 2010 - 11:04pm

FARR WEST -- Pamela Logan Hawkes said you don't really know a person until you have lived with them.

That's why she decided to turn her home into a private care skilled nursing facility.

Hawkes, who is a registered nurse, runs Memory Lane Care Home out of her private residence. She wants to take care of her patients in a home-like environment so they feel like they are part of her own family.

"In getting to know our residents, it allows me to understand and provide for their needs in not only a unique nursing perspective, but also on a one-on-one basis," Hawkes said. "I truly love to hear and learn about each of my residents' life stories. Each one has a unique and memorable history."

Hawkes started working in private home care as a teenager, assisting her mother. When she became a nurse she continued providing care in both long-term care facilities and as an agency home health care nurse. She also ran a private skilled nursing care facility in Cache Valley.

Memory Lane Care Home, which opened in September, offers 24-hour nursing coverage that includes four certified nursing assistants and two nurses, Hawkes said. The facility is allowed to provide full-time skilled nursing care to three residents. Respite, wound and rehabilitative care also are provided in addition to daily activities, field trips, home-cooked meals and a physician who makes house calls. The facility also follows state-approved policies and procedures.

The home, all on one level, features a large living area and front room with a piano. The open, spacious rooms have a fireplace and large-screen TV for evening movies and popcorn. The kitchen/dining area is equipped and roomy enough to allow residents to help prepare meals, if they desire, Hawkes said. There is also a spacious backyard with a covered deck.

"We are the only private-care skilled nursing facility in Northern Utah. There are two in St. George," she said. "I use the term facility professionally, because equally, this is a private nursing home atmosphere."

Before she could open her business, Hawkes had to obtain permission from the Farr West City Council.

"Being the first and only residential private care skilled nursing facility in the area, the city of Farr West had no ordinances in place to allow us to do business," Hawkes said. "We worked through the process with the city and were given approval for licensure in June."

Deanna Williams, who teaches nursing at Weber State University, said her mother, Betty Peterson, 91, is a resident at the nursing home.

"I absolutely love it," said Williams. "My mother had a stroke and has had some short-term memory problems, and since she has been with Pam, she has improved so much. I think it's a wonderful place and I couldn't be more thrilled."

Hawkes said the facility also provides competitive skilled nursing home care rates. Semi-private rates are $5,000 per month. A private room is $5,300 per month. The only other daily out-of-pocket expenses that may be needed are for personal care items, medications and assistive aide devices such as wheelchairs and walkers. The facility also accepts private insurance or private pay.

The facility is at 1295 N. 1700 West. If interested, call Hawkes at 435-881-2679 or e-mail her at memorylanecarehome@gmail.com.