Today we’d like to introduce you to Sadie Guerra.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Over 40 years ago, Autumn Woods was born. My grandparents founded our family-owned and operated health care facility, designing and building it from the ground up with a clear vision in mind. At the time, traditional nursing homes were not yet widely needed, so they chose to focus on Residential Care—providing a safe, structured home for individuals living with mental illness and developmental disabilities. Their vision made history when they opened the first Residential Care facility in the state of Missouri.
A few years later, they expanded by opening a sister facility. Today, one home accommodates 30 residents and the other 28. Together, they continue to reflect the values, compassion, and dedication that started it all.
Residential Care is personal care provided in a residential setting—meeting basic needs while maintaining the comfort and familiarity of home. Our residents are ambulatory but may need assistance with daily tasks. Our dedicated staff provides three hot meals each day, housekeeping services, 24-hour supervision, and support with personal care and medication needs. Residential Care is a licensed level of care that complies with all national and city fire and building codes, as well as all regulations set forth by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, the Department of Mental Health, and the Kansas City Health Department. The majority of our residents live with diagnoses such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, paranoid schizophrenia, and psychosis.
I grew up immersed in this family business. Some of my earliest memories include going to work with my mom every morning before school and returning after school to help until it was time to go home. At 16, I officially began working in housekeeping. Over the years, I earned my Level One Medication Aide license, allowing me to work shifts independently. From there, I advanced to lead staff, assistant manager, and ultimately became the facility manager in 2020. Later this year, I will sit for my administrator license.
I have now worked in this business for 18 years, learning every role firsthand and growing alongside our residents and staff. Today, my own children are being raised in this environment, helping with Halloween and Christmas parties. I believe it is important to expose my children to this setting to help normalize diagnoses that are still not talked about enough in our world. My goal is to encourage open conversations about mental health and to help expand mental health resources here in Missouri.
Our greatest goal has always been to make our facility a true home for those who live with us. We are proud to have residents who have been part of our community for over 15 years. We strive to provide a level of care that preserves dignity, independence, and safety, while helping each resident achieve the highest possible level of mental and physical ability.
As we look ahead to the next 40 years, our mission remains the same: to provide a high-quality, home-like, and structured living environment that allows individuals with mental illness and developmental disabilities to live with dignity, respect, and purpose.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I think as in any field specifically in healthcare there has been hurtles. Obviously, us being in healthcare the one that comes to mind right off hand is COVID. I think especially for those in facilities even hearing the word COVID will bring up some sort of anxiety. During that time in our facility we were fortunate enough to not have had any loses in our community, but these individuals lives were not the same during those 2 years.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I believe what sets us apart from other facilities similar to ours is family like environment as well as being a small family owned in operated facility. There are not many around that can still say that. Also, the fact that all we specialize in is taking care of those with mental illness and developmental disabilities. We also won Best of the Northland last year!
What makes you happy?
Knowing that we make a difference in 28 peoples lives makes me happy in my work. If there was not a facility like us most of them would have no where to go.
Pricing:
- Private pay facility
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.autumnwoodsrcf.com
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/AutumnWoodsRCF
