Memory care at the kensington sierra madre
“To make a difference in someone’s life you don’t have to be brilliant, rich, beautiful, or perfect. You have to care.”
-Mandy Hale
“To make a difference in someone’s life you don’t have to be brilliant, rich, beautiful, or perfect. You have to care.”
-Mandy Hale
Memory loss is life-changing for all involved – your family, as well as your loved one. Although we understand the general patterns of Alzheimer’s and dementia, we seek ways to capitalize on resident strengths, despite deterioration of recall. We help residents and families find ways to enjoy the beauty of special times, even if only moments. We honor the past, savor the present and look toward making the times that lie ahead manageable, comfortable and ultimately, peaceful.
The goal at The Kensington Sierra Madre is to help each resident live independently as long as they are able. We assist in the process by providing care customized to your loved one’s level of memory loss. It’s care in which we offer assistance where needed but step back to encourage his or her sense of independence.
In addition to round the clock loving care and support, we also provide relevant clinical services.
This includes an on-site Physician’s Office during regular business hours and a full-time Registered Nurse who coordinates comprehensive nursing and medical care of each resident. In addition, we have a staff of licensed nurses to provide Medication Administration 24 hours a day.
When needed, we also offer on-site rehabilitation services, to help our residents optimize independent living. You can have the peace of mind and confidence of knowing that your loved one is in capable, professional hands at all times.
But the best therapy of all is keeping families close at hand. We encourage family and friends to visit as often as possible and to lean on us for support whenever necessary. We know that by sharing caregiving responsibility, families are freer to enjoy the pleasure of time spent together.
Because we empathize with residents and their loved ones who are confronting the challenges of memory loss, we offer a thoughtfully designed memory care program geared for the whole family. We believe the degree of memory loss is an important consideration when providing memory care, so we offer two “neighborhoods” our residents call home.
We believe the best care is provided when we help residents to sucessfully “age in place,” which the two neighborhoods enhance. Both neighborhoods are cozy, intimate and secure, staffed by professionals trained to meet them where they are.
This is our neighborhood for early to middle stage Alzheimer’s and dementia care. It’s designed specifically for residents who are showing increasing signs of memory loss but still retain a large degree of independence. Our goal is to help residents be independently engaged in activities that give meaning and purpose to their lives.
Your loved one may be experiencing increased anxiety, fear of getting lost, isolation, and even depression. They may be having difficulty with daily tasks without reminders, causing them to become frustrated and to lose confidence. They may also wander and become agitated in the late afternoon or early evening, as the sun goes down.
Connections provides a fully secured environment to maximize safety, in an intimate, homelike living space that fosters calm and comfort. The neighborhood has porches, and patio and garden areas to enable residents to freely enjoy fresh air and sunshine. Here we offer wander management technology to manage their whereabouts while they move about freely.
This is our neighborhood for middle to late stage Alzheimer’s and dementia care. Residents may be experiencing difficulty recognizing family and friends, organizing thoughts and managing the activities of daily living. They may require assistance to maintain appearance and good hygiene, as well as managing incontinence. Wandering and agitation may become more pronounced.
Haven residents in this neighborhood receive a higher level of assistance and care. Our goal is to maximize comfort, minimize agitation, and soothe compassionately. We also strive to offer residents opportunities to become involved in ways that are meaningful.
The neighborhood provides cozy and intimate living spaces that enable residents to explore safely and freely. There’s lots of natural light and a fully secure outdoor terrace to create a cheerful environment.
The neighborhood features an adaptive design, including painted walls and doors, motion sensors, specially designed carpet and memory boxes, to help with recognition and minimize confusion. We also make sure the kitchen is filled with happy sounds and smells of home, such as bread baking, music, laughter, and soft voices to soothe and please the senses.
The Kensington Sierra Madre recently became the first Positive Approach to Care (PAC) Designated senior living community in California. Thanks to our Executive Director CC Degraff, Director of Memory Care Leandra Sims, and The Kensington Sierra Madre team’s hard work, we are able to make this dream a reality!
The Positive Approach to Care, developed by Teepa Snow, is specific training for care teams and individuals on the brain changes, symptoms, and behaviors associated with dementia.
PAC helps our residents and their families see the person living with dementia, and not just the dementia. In this way, all parties are better equipped to understand what’s happening and respond in a more meaningful way. The Kensington Sierra Madre is proud to be a PAC Designated community, and to use these practices within our memory care community.