Ohio Living is working to transform memory care resources and services to be a best-in-class provider of Memory Care and Cognitive Well-being for Ohioans living with dementia, their families and caregivers. A multi-year, three-phase transformation to create Memory Care Centers of Excellence throughout Ohio Living’s life plan communities, is now underway. As part of the transformation, a state-of-the-art best practices programs will be expanded for residents in all levels of living, including independent living, assisted living, skilled nursing, memory care and home health and hospice.
The first foundational priority is to Create a life worth living for those with cognitive challenges by enriching lives and offering hope. This closely aligns with the Phase 1 rollout of I’m Still Here®, an evidence-based and engagement-focused approach from the award-winning Hearthstone Institute. Focused on procedural memory techniques and Montessori-inspired learning approaches, I’m Still Here® utilizes multi-level programs focus on engagement at all levels of dementia, giving each person experiences tailored to their needs and skills. Six life plan communities and counting have achieved the Hearthstone Institute’s Certified Memory Care Center of Excellence certification, including Ohio Living Breckenridge Village, Ohio Living Llanfair, Ohio Living Mount Pleasant, Ohio Living Swan Creek and Ohio Living Westminster-Thurber.
Phase 2 of the transformation is the Engaged Life initiative, that aims to extend excellence in memory care to meet the needs of the changing, growing population in independent living and assisted living. The Engaged Life initiative will expand the dementia continuum and extend aging-in-place best practices to assist in creating a dementia-friendly environment through education, understanding and shared experiences. Expected outcomes include increase quality of life, self-confidence and sense of purpose, along with decreased social isolation, depression and need for pharmaceutical interventions. Ohio Living Mount Pleasant has begun to pilot this phase and other communities will soon follow.
Culminating this transformation is Phase 3, the Serve as a Resource initiative that will further extend memory care best practices to Ohio Living Home Health & Hospice and the greater community.
Donor funds given through the Ohio Living Foundation are helping to transform memory care in all levels of living, from memory care to home health and hospice. For more information about how to support the Ohio Living Center for Cognitive Vitality, visit ohioliving.org/foundation.
