Page 42 - BusinessWest March 7, 2022

Why? Because the memory-care population is on the rise as Americans live longer than ever — and early-onset dementia in younger people is ticking up as well. So the model JGS has adopted, of making sure all the points along its continuum of services can handle different levels of demen- tia, is one increasingly taking hold in the world of
“We really want to get to know your mom or dad, and we want to know what they like and don’t like, because then we utilize that.”
senior living and care.
“We were the ones who spearheaded demen-
tia-friendly Longmeadow a few years ago, which was really important to us, to make people aware of the differences of folks that have this higher level of memory loss, because people really didn’t know how to deal with them. They didn’t know what to do, how to act,” Schelb explained. “We wanted to make people aware, so I worked with the senior center, some emergency responders, and we worked with the Alzheimer’s Association and got certified as a dementia-friendly town.”
Similarly, making JGS a dementia-friendly campus was a natural evolution, she noted. “Except for Genesis independent living, every sin- gle piece of the campus concentrates on memory care.”
Sue Halpern (left) and Mary- Anne Schelb say incorporating memory care into the entire JGS continuum makes sense with people living longer and dementia becoming more prevalent.
Gardening Tools
The Garden gives Ruth’s House an element of security and higher-level care for individuals with dementia, Schelb explained.
“Maybe you start out in traditional assisted living, and as they progress [with memory loss], we could add services to the apartment as long as they’re not a wander risk, and if they do become a wander risk, we’ve got the secure Garden level, which is beautiful inside and out,” she said, not- ing the waterfall, scenic walkways, and benches
out back; the fact that the area is safely fenced in is obscured by the landscaping.
“We just wanted to make it this gorgeous, park-like environment. A lot of people like to walk, and and here they can be outside, and it gives them that sense of freedom.”
In the Leavitt skilled-nursing facility, two nursing neighborhoods are dedicated to caring for people with memory impairments, Halpern explained, while staff of the other JGS programs, like Wernick and Sosin, are trained in working with people with memory loss as well.
Move to JGS Lifecare and join our Campus of Care
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JGS: the solution to all your elder care needs!
Call Mary-Anne Schelb 413.935.1791 or email [email protected]
1.SosinCenterforRehabilitation 2.WernickAdultDayHealthCare 3.Ruth’sHouseAssistedLiving 4.LeavittFamilyJewishHome
5. Spectrum Home Health & Hospice Care 6. Genesis House for Independent Living
770-780 Converse St, Longmeadow, MA 01106 • www.JGSLifecare.org
42 MARCH 7, 2022
BUSINESS OF AGING
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