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your brother, with your spouse.”
But what makes it quality time, and how does memory care differ from tra-
ditional assisted living?
Since it opened 26 years ago, the
Atrium has featured two buildings with 22 apartments each, both dedicated to a memory-care model.
“We don’t divide residents based on their care level or their cognitive func- tioning,” Baker said. “With residents with memory loss or cognitive impair- ment, huge crowds can be overwhelm- ing or overstimulating, so limiting the number of people is better for a resi- dent. That’s why we have two neighbor- hoods. They have the same amenities — they both have a courtyard, they both have dining rooms, they both have
the atrium area, they both have living rooms and sitting-room areas; they’re identical to one another.”
The Atrium aims to provide a level of care often associated with skilled- nursing facilities — such as two-per- son transfer assistance, feeding assis- tance, medication administration,
and total care with all aspects of daily living — but in a home-like, assisted- living environment, she added. “It’s
a little bit different model than most other communities, but the hope is that our residents can remain here in their home through end of life and not have to move to another setting.”
“We’re trying to keep our residents as engaged as possible throughout the day, with the understanding that we know not every single resident enjoys
every single activity that we offer, but the idea is to offer such a variety that there’s something that our residents will enjoy.”
Mason Wright, like many assisted- living residences, has a neighbor- hood, called Reflections, dedicated to memory care on its third floor. There, “the caregivers build consistency and trust with the same people,” Ballini said. “The caregivers who are helping them out of bed in the morning are doing activities throughout the day and are serving meals to them. The routine is very important.”
That daily routine includes an extensive roster of activities that actively engage the mind. Residents in Reflections are able to join the rest of the Mason Wright community for events like entertainers, baking ses- sions, and other activities that anyone can enjoy, but also engage in activities exclusive to their neighborhood that are aimed at preserving cognition.
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“That time they have left should be quali- ty time. You’re taking the business end of the relationship and putting that on us so that you can truly enjoy your time with your with your parent, with your brother, with your spouse.”
that and do an amazing job.”
The Atrium infuses music into many
activities, she added, from bringing in professional musicians to utilizing the baby grand pianos in both neighbor- hoods to playing instrumental music during mealtimes.
“In memory care, music is some- thing that resonates with pretty
much the entire population, all of our residents. Not necessarily the same song or same genre, but music is something they can relate to, regard- less of what stage someone’s at with dementia, Alzheimer’s, or any cognitive impairment.”
CATHY BALLINI
At the Atrium, Baker said, “we’re often able to pique new interest with our residents or encourage them to try something that they haven’t done, like
our art therapy program, for example. Residents who have never had an inter- est in art or painting may be willing to try, and we have seen them partake in
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