A new specialty center for Alzheimer's patients is opening in Syracuse this year. More than 400,000 New Yorkers live with Alzheimer's, and that's expected to jump by 15% in the next three years.
The Loretto Health facility will provide care for Alzheimer's patients and treatment. But it doesn't look like a medical facility. Loretto nurse Kim Castagnier said the walls feature outdoor scenes, and the room entrances are decorated with cobblestone and shutters.
"This is the red wing, if you can see, the bookcases [are] red, and our shutters are red," Castagnier said. "And if you look at the end of the hall, it's yellow. And their shutters are yellow there. So it helps them identify where they live."
Loretto Health Administrator Courtney Lyon said their treatment method prioritizes hands-on engagement.
"The goal for each resident is to partake in activities that are meaningful to the individual, feel useful, apply life skills and enhance cognitive stimulation and physical activity," Lyon said.
Lyon explains Loretto’s outlook and the environment in which each resident lives helps them make progress with the disease.
“We have incorporated many innovative technologies and designs from the most cutting-edge approach to memory care, including camouflage landscapes, murals, photographs and designs on the walls to trigger comforting memories," Lyon said.
The CEO of the local chapter of the Alzheimer's Association, Cathy James, said this approach could prove beneficial for other Alzheimer's patients.
“This will be something that they'll be monitoring very closely to see what this type of approach in care, in how that makes a difference in quality of life and quality indicators for the residents that are there," James said.
James said in-person care revolving around the individual’s abilities is the structure of the model.
The facility will house 30 patients.