Shearer-Richardson Memorial Nursing Home sits quietly at 512 Rockwell Dr in Okolona, MS, and since the 1950s it's shifted from a small 10-bed hospital to a 73-bed nursing home after the hospital closed back in 2003, and you'll see it offers a wide range of senior care services for folks in Okolona and across nearby towns like Tupelo, West Point, Amory, Houston, Saltillo, Fulton, and Pontotoc, with a strong focus on long-term care, assisted living, and memory care for people with dementia or Alzheimer's disease. Residents live in private rooms with no extra charges, and the facility's got clean spaces, good meals, and friendly staff you'll hear praised for being dedicated and open with families, plus folks say the therapists run good physical therapy sessions and there's always help for daily needs like bathing, dressing, eating, and keeping rooms clean, even when someone's got a complicated personality or tough needs.
The setting's calm, with a walking track outside for exercise and beautifully cared-for grounds that help people feel connected, and inside you'll find three meals a day with snacks and meals tailored by a dietician, including therapeutic diets when needed. Nurses and nurse practitioners keep an eye on things around the clock, supervised by a physician, so someone's always there to help with medications, health issues, or emergencies, and there's a director of nursing and a medical director running things alongside an administrator who keeps the place running. Folks with memory challenges get extra safety thanks to an alerting wandering system and a security setup that only lets people in with a passcode, and families can rest a little easier because of these steps.
Shearer-Richardson Memorial Nursing Home gets its share of positive comments about the supportive and respectful environment, the friendly meals, the activities, and how the staff often becomes like a second family for many residents, and there's a Resident Council Group so people have a voice about what goes on. It provides 24-hour skilled nursing care, help with personal care, rehab services like speech, occupational, and physical therapy, palliative and hospice care, plus social and recreational activities to keep people busy and connected. Outpatient rehab is available for both residents and community members, but only some insurances or Medicare help cover it, and Medicaid-only folks in long-term care aren't billed for this rehab. The place takes several ways to pay and has different floor plans but you'll need to reach out for details since there's not a lot online, and the staff makes time for in-person tours for anyone who'll set something up. It's got up-to-date COVID-19 protocols, follows all the federal rules for Medicare and Medicaid, and passes its safety and health checks, with enough caregivers on hand for safe care. You'll see a gentle routine, a secure and calm setting, and plenty of chances for family visits and community involvement, which has meant a lot to people calling this place home for both the short and long haul.
