In our past work at other senior communities, we’d often witness residents who would have to move to another facility when their current home could no longer care for them. Often this move occurred because the resident had moved into a new phase of life requiring unique stimulation that their current home couldn’t provide. We believe our memory care unit will offer just the lifestyle our memory care population need and desire. We want to paint a picture of what our memory care unit entails and detail why we think it’s one of a kind.
To begin, each resident will live in an individual apartment that has a front door opening into the memory care unit. A streetlight will stand right outside the door, and plant baskets will hang from the window so it looks like a home. When a memory care resident steps from her door into the unit, she steps onto a sidewalk-scape, a path that she can walk around as long as she desires. Looking around, the resident sees a hometown feel.
Down the sidewalk, there’s a chapel filled with restored pews and a piano. Stain-glass windows, designed and built by Bill Bridwell, line the walls. A resident can come inside to pray or to play the piano.
Farther on, there’s a laundromat with an old-time feel, black and white checked tile floor from the days of yore. Of course it contains a washer and dryer that residents can use—with help from staff if needed.
Next up there is a salon where a resident can get a cut and cut up with friends. And nearby that, an arts and crafts store, where residents can sit at an easel and paint, create pottery, sew or knit.
A sporting goods store is also situated along the street. Residents can putt on the Astroturf putting green here. They can sit in comfy recliners and watch ballgames playing on ESPN Classic. And checkers and chess boards are also available if anyone wants to try a hand.
After that, a resident can walk over to the general store to buy small items, such as muffins and cookies. Here they also can touch and feel and take cooking ingredients and other culinary items home with them.
Finally, we have a café in which residents can gather and eat together. We plan on having a mural of the sky painted above the café so that residents can feel even more like they’re sitting outside and enjoying their meal.
All in all, we’ve done all we can to create an authentic hometown downtown feel. There’s lots to do to keep our memory care residents engaged and busy, and they can do this with friends they meet at Homeplace. What’s more it’s in a safe environment that will ensure their well-being. Our indoor downtown has an outside look within an interior area. There’s nothing like it anywhere around!
To contact the Homeplace of Henderson, email Jessica Beaven at jessica.beaven@homeplaceofhenderson.com or call at (270) 577-0534.