SUN CITY WEST, ARIZ. – Jan. 27, 2015 – Grandview Memory Support (GMS) welcomed its first residents in late December and the unique home for people with memory loss has already received a national award.
Senior Housing News named the residence runner-up for its 2014 Architecture and Design Awards in the Stand-Alone Memory Care category. The annual awards recognize “exciting, innovative design solutions in senior housing.”
Located inside Sun Health Senior Living’s Grandview Care Center, GMS is licensed as Assisted Living by the Arizona Department of Health Services. It features 16 private, studio-size suites built specifically for people with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
Natural light, spacious floor plans and a décor designed to appeal to the senses permeate the residence. The dining area and living room feature bright colors, inviting furnishings and tactile art on the walls. These common areas lend themselves well for social gatherings. Families and friends are always welcome to visit.
Residents and their loved ones are encouraged to put their own stamp on their suite, decorating it with personal mementos, their own furniture and whatever makes them feel “at home.” Each suite is fronted by a porch complete with a cozy chair, window with a flower box, and a picket fence. The porch also can be personalized. GMS is currently home to seven residents with more waiting in the wings.
A “sensory room” offers a calming place, where residents can enjoy exercise, aromatherapy, music and a mesmerizing LED bubble tube. The room also contains a large touch-screen computer – called “It’s Never 2 Late” – that’s adapted for individuals with physical and mental challenges. Another distinguishing feature of GMS is a secure, outdoor garden where residents and family can walk or relax. It has a fountain, soft artificial grass, shaded seating and a raised planting bed for gardening.
The residence is staffed by a physician, nurse practitioner, floor nurses and other health professionals but there are no nurses’ stations, medication carts or other outward signs of clinical care. That’s by design.
“Every detail is designed to create a small neighborhood experience where residents feel at home, well-cared for and safe,” Executive Director of the Grandview campus Bhakti Gosalia said.
About Sun Health
A long-standing champion for healthy living, nonprofit Sun Health is a community-based health care organization providing “pathways to population health” through philanthropy, senior living, community education and programs, and superior health care. Learn more at www.SunHealth.org.
