Windsor expansion in progress

LAKEWOOD RANCH — At first, 82-year-old Sandy Town noticed little differences in his wife’s behavior — changes in wording or periods of slight confusion — but as time went on, her memory lapses intensified.
“As time went on, I took over more chores,” Town recalled, adding his wife, Gloria, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease about eight years ago. “She forgot how to use the washer and dryer. I cooked — things like that.”

Sandy Town cared for his wife even after the couple moved to the Windsor of Lakewood Ranch in October 2007. But just two years later, Gloria’s condition had deteriorated enough that Sandy Town could no longer care for her on his own. Moreover, her disease required a more secure environment than currently offered at the Windsor. Sandy chose to move his wife to another facility.

“It was a hard decision, but it had to be,” Town said.

However, by this time next year, Windsor residents and their loved ones won’t have to make such a tough choice. The facility recently broke ground on the Windsor Reflections Memory Care Residence at the corner of Natures Way and Town Center Parkway. The facility will be dedicated completely to individuals with Alzheimer’s or other dementia-related illnesses and will offer its residents a secured environment in which to live.

Windsor officials hope the expansion will be open next spring.

“All of us at Windsor Senior Living are looking forward to Reflections opening,” Regional Director of Operations Lorrie Britton said. “It will allow us to provide security and professional resident care which will enhance daily quality of life for those who live with us. Our whole key to the program is caring for people individually as individuals.”

The $7 million, 35,000-square-foot Reflections project will include 40 apartments, each with its own bathroom and shower, on one floor. The building will be divided into two neighborhoods of 20 residences, each with its own dining room, activity area and enclosed open-air courtyard, Britton said.
Dividing the building into two communities will create a more intimate environment for its residents, Britton said.

“The design of our building really will allow them to have purposeful, daily interactions and experiences,” she said.

The new building also will have an art studio and conference space to host caregiver support groups and education programming, she said.

“We strongly feel like we have to help provide information and give them a place to meet,” Britton said. “Caregivers have a really tough job and networking with each other is a great resource.”

Britton said Reflections staff will have specialized training to handle working with dementia patients and so residents can succeed in their environment.

Although Windsor owners did not see a need for such memory-specific care when the facility first opened, Britton said the need for such a facility has increased, particularly over the last few years. The Lakewood Ranch has had to discharge at least three-dozen residents over the years because they required a higher level of care than offered at the Windsor. But having a memory care center — one equipped especially to handle dementia patients — will be a valuable asset to the community and provide an easy transition for existing Windsor patients who need more memory-related care, Britton said.

Reflections is expected to open in late May 2012. Marketing for the facility is expected to start in September, Britton said.

Contact Pam Eubanks at [email protected].

About Alzheimer’s
Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive, degenerative disorder that attacks the brain’s nerve cells. The condition results in a loss of memory, thinking and language skills, as well as behavioral changes.