State of the Art Memory Care Program Based on Research, Expert Guidance and Years of Experience
Based on our decades of experience, Whitcomb House has been effectively serving seniors with memory impairment ranging from Mild Cognitive Impairment, MCI, to full-blown Alzheimer’s, Vascular Dementia, Parkinson’s and other dementias since 1996. Our senior staff have all come to us with a great deal of experience in the field and a fresh dedication to making life happy, safe and contented for our residents.
Guidance from two of the country’s leading experts is the basis of our Alzheimer’s care. Joanne Koenig Coste and Sumer Verma, MD, have literally written the books on effective, compassionate care for those with Alzheimer’s and other dementias. They have helped us create and maintain our programs, keeping us up-to-date with both medical/pharmacological and social/behavioral research and state-of-the art techniques. If there are new and better practices out there, we know about them.
Using the most recent research on dementia treatment and the workings of the human brain. American and European researchers have established an early understanding of Alzheimer’s Disease and have made some limited progress with medications but still have a long way to go. Many drug avenues are being explored.
However there is also plentiful research showing the clear positive benefits to people with dementia through a heart and brain healthy diet, exercise, sunlight, human touch, cognitive challenging activities, artistic expression, and music. These modalities both treat the negative symptoms of the disease and stimulate positive growth in the daily lives of our residents.
We treat the negative symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease: these are nearly universal among residents when they first come to us. Most are relieved within weeks of joining our community.
- Depression
- Boredom
- Anxiety
- Anger
- Fear
- Loneliness
- Dehydration
- Poor Nutrition
- Confusion
- Sleep Disturbance
- Falls and Accidents
We promote the positive life of our residents so that they are involved, active and comfortable in their daily lives. Our daily life is centered on the healing effects of:
- Brain-healthy meals, delicious, made from scratch and good for both heart and brain health
- Exercise, movement, casual and intentional
- Music in all of its forms makes up our strongest, oldest memories and source of comfort
- Spiritual connections in formal services and daily sharing with others
- Arts to make and create
- Brain-building to make new neuronal connections
- Sunlight, daylight and a sense of nature in plants, animals and weather
- Human touch that heals, comforts and enlivens
- Contributions and shared responsibilities
