What happens when commitment meets compassion? Embrace happens. Senior Lifestyle’s innovative embrace memory care program combines the most recent research in memory care with real world best practices identified by Senior Lifestyle over three decades of work with individuals in all stages of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.
The guiding principles of embrace – Wellness, Enrichment, Challenge, Connection and Creativity – provide the foundation for our memory care philosophy, focused on creating a connection with memory care residents on an individual level. Small-group embrace programming that addresses the individual needs of these residents includes:
• Thymeless: a garden-to-table program designed specifically for older adults with dementia, focusing on empowering memory care residents to grow and prepare healthy, fresh food. The ongoing use and development of preserved habits, skills, and passions in the garden or food preparation can help residents to feel productive, successful, and accomplished.
• Essence: an award-winning sensory stimulation program based on aromatherapy principles and specifically designed to support residents with Alzheimer’s and related dementias. Through the use of essential oils, residents will enjoy a positive sensory experience that can incite positive emotional and physical results.
• Bookmarks: a reading program designed to support residents with Alzheimer’s and related dementias through the exploration of the written word. During monthly meetings, residents will have the opportunity to socialize in small group settings, and develop friendships with their neighbors.
• Spark: a lifestyle enrichment program designed to promote social engagement, cognitive stimulation, and connection among residents. The program offers a variety of initiatives aimed at encouraging physical activity, better nutrition, restful sleep, relaxation strategies, social interaction, and mental stimulation.
• Snapshots: supports the emotional wellness of both the resident and their loved ones. We work to provide opportunity for continued connection between our residents and their loved ones through specially designed programs, support and education. We are committed to supporting residents and families with their emotional wellness at each stage and with each challenge they face.
Hollie Kemp, Corporate Director of Resident Experience at Senior Lifestyle says: “Self-efficacy, compassion, and memorable moments underpin everything that we do in embrace. We are not only committed to caring for our residents, but supporting them on their unique journey. It’s our mission to help them feel worthy, loved, and purposeful. Memory loss is devastating, but it’s not the end of a person’s journey, it’s the start of a new path. We at Senior Lifestyle want that path to be one filled with loving relationships, compassionate care, purpose, and joy. That is what embrace is all about.”
The embrace philosophy recently garnered an Argentum Best of the Best award for its Essence sensory stimulation program, a vital component of embrace programming. To learn more about embrace or any of the life enrichment programs at our Senior Lifestyle communities, please visit the Senior Lifestyle website.