How We Provide Specialized Care for Loved Ones
Memory care is a specialized form of care – available to both assisted living and skilled nursing residents – designed to meet the unique needs of individuals facing Alzheimer's disease, dementia, or other memory-related challenges. Providing the right environment, care, and understanding is crucial in enhancing the quality of life for those navigating memory loss.
Columbine Health Systems' Memory Care philosophy centers around creating a familiar environment that feels like home, where each resident is recognized, valued, and celebrated. The philosophy embraces small moments to build lasting connections, transcending traditional memory care and fostering a meaningful journey for residents.
In memory care, a secure, locked unit plays a vital role in ensuring the safety and well-being of residents. Individuals with dementia may experience wandering tendencies, and this type of unit provides the necessary security to prevent potential harm, ensuring they remain in a safe environment that still feels like home. Our residences exemplify this by offering secure memory care with thoughtful amenities. These include:
Secure memory care featuring a sunroom for a comforting and peaceful atmosphere.
A private outdoor area with a walking path and seating provides residents a tranquil space to enjoy the out-of-doors securely.
Secure memory care with a communal living structure, creating a safe and serene environment.
A secure courtyard that offers a peaceful outdoor space for residents to relax and engage with nature.
Dedicated memory care services within our assisted living facility.
Large outdoor gardens fully landscaped with fruit trees, raised flower beds for year-round growing, and walking paths for independent outdoor activity.
The Vital Role of Compassionate Care
Columbine prioritizes dignity and enhances the overall quality of life for seniors under our care by investing in employee training with experts like Teepa Snow to provide the highest quality dementia care.
She helped us further understand the profound impact responses have on the dignity of those with dementia. Advocating for empathy, respect, and understanding, her philosophy resonates with our approach, where compassionate care stands as the cornerstone of our memory care, ensuring a nurturing environment that validates the dignity of our residents.
Columbine Health Systems prioritizes the continuing education of its employees through methods such as the SPECAL approach. This comprehensive approach to dementia care is well-explained in the Dementia Together blog post "Discernment Leads to Humble Deferral" by Cyndy Luzinski, who founded and serves as the executive director of the Northern Colorado nonprofit.
Aligning with the blog post's insights, Columbine Health Systems underscores the importance of accommodating communication, akin to supporting someone with a prosthesis or crutch, and listening to the expert — the person coping with memory challenges. By incorporating SPECAL general principles, including "listen to the expert," Columbine Health Systems ensures its employees are equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to provide compassionate care, enhancing the dignity and well-being of individuals with dementia.
Activities Supporting Memory Care Residents
Columbine Health Facilities are dedicated to providing a range of engaging activities to support memory care residents. These initiatives include:
Morning and afternoon activities, featuring memory games and chair Zumba.
Regular courtyard and outdoor activities offer a refreshing connection with nature.
Memory cafes, personalized care plans, and stressor identification for tailored and individualized care.
Community outings, spiritual activities, and therapy sessions for holistic well-being.
All-day music engagement and arts and crafts to stimulate creativity and enjoyment.
Daily meditation, music, and exercise activities to promote physical and mental well-being.
Columbine Health Systems strives to create a supportive and dignified environment for individuals in memory care by prioritizing compassionate care, continuous employee education, and personalized activities. Through these initiatives, seniors in Northern Colorado can age gracefully, surrounded by respect and understanding.
Columbine Health Systems has been Northern Colorado's leader in compassionate senior care since 1971. It has evolved to include a full continuum of care services, including patio homes, independent living, assisted living, skilled nursing, therapy services, infusion therapy, home care, medical equipment, pharmacy, chaplains, and transportation.