November 2018
Volume 6 • Issue 10
New $6.1M memory care home coming to Southridge
BY KRISTINA LORD editor@tcjournal.biz
Cancer WellFit keeps survivors strong
Page 3
Stanley Cup comes to the Tri-Cities
Page 9
Holiday bazaar calendar Page 14
save the date
Veterans Day Parade Sat., Nov. 10 9 a.m. - noon Downtown West Richland, West Van Geisen Street
A $6.1 million facility offering a Montessori-based approach to memory loss care will open next fall in Kennewick. Called Windsong at Southridge, the 36,202-square-foot facility will feature 56 private studio apartments, each with their own private bathroom and shower. It will be located on four acres at 4000 24th Ave., off Highway 395 near Home Depot. The facility, which will have two wings, will feature a full commercial kitchen with a full-time chef, two interior courtyards, four television rooms, two activity kitchens and two Montessori rooms for activities and stimulus. The Montessori approach is typically used with children. The method values the development of the whole person — physical, social, emotional, cognitive. Montessori classrooms often include multi-age groupings to foster peer learning, uninterrupted blocks of work time and guided choice of work activity. Montessori-based dementia care focuses on muscle memory, the five senses and building on existing skills, interests and abilities. Stacey Flint, Windsong’s regional marketing director and Montessori trainer, said Windsong’s approach works with seniors to tap into their history and senses by offering a hands-on learning environment. She’s said it’s all about finding opportunities. “For example, most people cook for themselves their whole lives. They still retain that ability on some level. They’re able to do the art of daily living. We give them choices about what they want to do, what they want to wear for the day and to brush their own teeth,” she said. Flint said Windsong staff are trained to think about what the residents would be doing if they didn’t have the disease. uWINDSONG, Page 6
Olive LaBelle, left, and Jo Cooney chat with Karen Sousley, a partner at Living Well Senior Home Placement, in their new apartment at Brookdale Senior Living in Yakima. The two sisters used Sousley’s services this spring to find their new home. (Courtesy Central Washington Senior Times)
Free home placement service helps seniors find best options BY KRISTINA LORD editor@tcjournal.biz
Understanding the differences between retirement, nursing and adult day homes and assisted living facilities can be challenging. It’s easy for seniors — and their families — to become overwhelmed by all the “providers” vying for their business, said Karen Sousley of Living Well Senior Home Placement. “There is so much information that
they need to know, but they do not know where to turn,” she said. Sousley and her business partner Jeanne Spiegelberg of Vancouver, Washington, saw a way to help. They launched Living Well Senior Home Placement two years ago. Advisors from the company meet with seniors and family members in their own home, assess their care needs, housing preferences and financial resources. uLIVING WELL, Page 2
Virtual tour helps people understand what it’s like to live with dementia BY JESSICA HOEFER for Senior Times
A man whose mother faced down Alzheimer’s wants to educate others about dementia by giving them a virtual tour through the disease. “We impair your senses to mimic or give your brain the thought of what it might feel like to have dementia,” said Rick Bennett, who owns a business called The Dementia Coach. Bennett’s interest in senior care started when his mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. “My sister and I started noticing Mom was getting more forgetful. Back in those days, everyone was afraid of the ‘A’ word. It took (doctors) a year to come out and say, ‘Yes, she has Alzheimer’s,” he said.
After his mother died, Bennett wanted to use the experience he gained to help seniors with memory loss and cognitive dysfunction. In 2013, he opened Bennett House, an adult day care center in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. It didn’t take long for Bennett to realize many caregivers struggle to understand the disease. “They just found out their mom has Alzheimer’s and they don’t know where to start. There’s information overload and it paralyzes them,” he said. “I started coaching people, then I realized there’s a real opportunity to help people.” In 2018, Bennett sold the adult day care center and launched The Dementia Coach. uDEMENTIA, Page 7
PLEASE DELIVER TO CURRENT Occupant
Senior Times 8919 W. Grandridge Blvd., Ste. A1 Kennewick, WA 99336
PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE PAID Pasco, WA PERMIT NO. 8778