Jeff Peters, administrator of Brighter Living and a Chester resident, stays updated on the renovation process in the new memory impairment unit.

SAL Management, Inc., a part of Shamin Living in Chester, is nearing completion on a renovation of their assisted living facility in Hopewell.  Brighter Living Assisted Living, with 82 assisted living beds, will open a new section named Sunflower Gardens, which will be devoted to memory impairment.  Steve Prial, regional director for Shamin Hotels, created the name Sunflower Gardens. Leigh P. Burke, vice president of operations for Brighter Living, thought the name and unit’s sunflower logo were very significant for the new unit.

“Sunflowers are a sign of the sun itself,” she explains.  “It promises power, warmth, nourishment, loyalty, and longevity.  Sunflowers are supposedly the happiest of flowers.  This is something that the facility as a whole, not just the memory impaired unit, is always striving to achieve.”

The unit will consist of 18 beds with 10 private rooms and four semi-private rooms.  Within the unit a residential kitchen will be used daily by activity personnel to bake with the residents to help stimulate smell and taste.  The oven and microwave will have a key-lock device connected to it so that residents within the wing will not be able to turn the appliances on.

Bright colors along with different bright color place settings will be used in the dining area to help residents differentiate between bowls, plates, and other dishware.  Three meals, plus snacks and finger foods, will be served daily with a well-stocked refrigerator to provide juices in cups with lids and straws for continual hydration throughout the day.

The wing has been structured to reduce confusion and provide consistency for the residents.  Activities will be conducted daily to encompass all of the senses, which will also include music therapy, exercise, and socials.  Validation therapy, a method used to communicate with individuals with cognitive impairment, will be utilized by all of the staff.
The facility has also added a six-foot privacy fence around their courtyard that will allow the residents an outdoor retreat.  For safety, the wing will be entered or exited by a keypad lock, all the windows are equipped with window guards, and special electrical sockets have been placed throughout the unit to prevent residents from tampering with them.

Jeff Peters, administrator of Brighter Living, is very excited about the new unit that is about to open.  “We have had a large number of inquiries about a memory impairment unit from the Chesterfield and Tri-Cities areas,” he says.  “Additionally, current family members and residents expressed an interest in the unit so that loved ones would not have to be moved to another facility.  We expect the unit to fill quickly.”

Brighter Living Assisted Living is involved with the Alzheimer’s Association and currently accepts grants from the organization for caregivers just needing a few hours during the day to run errands or perhaps an overnight stay for a loved one so the caregiver can rest.

For more information on the facility and the new Sunflower Gardens unit, or the daycare program, contact Candace Shafer, director of marketing at 458-5830, or visit www.brighter-living.com or www.sunflower-gardens.com.

lfausz@villagepublishing.com | 751-0421

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