Posted Date: 8/25/2008
Kaweah Delta Hospital and Quail Park Retirement Village announced today that they have broken ground on their new 32,000 square foot, Memory Care Residence on Kaweah Delta’s West Campus, directly to the East of the Lifestyles Center.
Laurel Court, A Memory Care Residence will be a state of the art senior community to serve seniors with Alzheimer’s and related dementias. The new 39-unit building will replace the existing 12-unit building located on the campus of Quail Park Retirement Village located on Cypress and Linwood. The 12-unit building will be converted to an Enhanced Assisted Living Residence that will serve residents with higher needs of assistance with activities of daily living such as bathing, eating and dressing.
“This new Laurel Court fills a need we have long anticipated for our community,” states Dena Cochran, Vice President of Development at Kaweah Delta Health Care District and Quail Park Retirement Village board member. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, as many as 5.2 million people in the United States are living with Alzheimer’s diseases. For the upcoming Baby Boomer population 14 million can expect to develop dementia including Alzheimer’s disease. “The Central Valley is like the rest of the country in its need for communities like Laurel Court. A place where residents with Alzheimer’s and related dementias will receive the appropriate level of care and supervision, and where families of residents can have peace of mind knowing that their loved ones are well cared for in their time of need,” said Cochran.
Laurel Court will be unlike other memory care communities in that it will have six neighborhoods identified by landmarks related to the city of Visalia. One such neighborhood will be ‘Mooney Park’. Around an interior Gazebo complimented by a themed décor will be four resident apartments. “This type of neighborhood design will help residents identify where their apartment is, while at the same time giving them an interactive environment that will keep them stimulated and engaged.” Says Terri Wright, Executive Director of Quail Park and the new Laurel Court. “We wanted to take the design beyond what other Memory Care communities do and reflect both the best of Visalia, while giving residents a feeling of community that reflects where many of them have lived or grown up” she said. Other neighborhoods will include The Depot and Main Street, among others.
Other features of the new Laurel Court will include the Fox Theatre where residents will have the opportunity to watch movies in a true movie theatre setting including fresh made popcorn. There will be a main dining room and a private family dining room featuring cooked-to-order meals and snacks. “Quail Park, and now the new Laurel Court, prides itself on having simply the best food. We have designed a fully functional commercial kitchen and dining service program that will be unlike any other in our type of community.” States Brent Mashler, long time Executive Chef at Quail Park. “Nutrition, choice, special diets and other elements of dining for this group of seniors is very important and the new Laurel Court will cater to its resident’s every dining need.” He said.
A long with interactive neighborhoods and a catered dining program the Laurel Court Memory Care Residence will feature a Life Enhancement Activities Program that will feature both a Women’s and Men’s Life skills Center. “Making possible typical life functions, if it is folding clothes and baking cookies for women or puttering in the workshop for men, is important to those who have dementia related disease to continue to feel useful, purposeful and engaged in the activities they used to do.” Says Evelyn Schlesselman Life Enhancement Director for Quail Park. “We believe that our residents should ‘live like they lived at home’ in every way possible despite the fact that they are now living with us” says Schlesselman. There will be interactive stations, private sitting areas, a 200 gallon salt water aquarium, aviary, stand up planters and even a putting green in the courtyard. These one-on-one or group activity areas and functions are designed to keep the residents of Laurel Court physically and mentally active.
Even Kiya, the community dog residing at the current Laurel Court, is getting caught up in the excitement for the new Laurel Court as well. “I took Kiya over to look at the site where the new Laurel Court is going to be,”said Luann Owens RN “and it was obvious that even Kiya is excited about what is definitely ‘The Start of Something Wonderful’ for Alzheimer’s residents and their families in the Central Valley”.
Laurel Court, A Memory Care Residence is currently under construction with an opening date scheduled for June of 2009.
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