'Memory care' with a homelike touch

A California-based company that specializes in caring for seniors with Alzheimer's and other memory impairment diseases has entered Arizona with its first facility in Scottsdale.

Silverado Senior Living purchased Stratford Square, a 40-bed senior community at 94th Street and Thunderbird Road, and has reopened it as Silverado Senior Living - Scottsdale.

This is the fourth state Silverado has entered, and it plans to add more facilities in Arizona in the future, said Denise Parker, administrator of the Scottsdale facility.

"The company was started almost 11 years ago," she said. "What (the founders) wanted was a place where they would want their parents to live. They sat down and brainstormed, and they wanted pets and they wanted kids to be able to visit and have a positive experience, and they wanted it to be in a homelike atmosphere."

Stratford was a senior living community, while Silverado is a "memory care" facility with 24-hour nursing and a director of health services, and activities geared toward residents with dementia, Parker said.

"We have a seven-to-one caregiver ratio," she said. "It takes more time with dementia to get them dressed, to get them daily care. But it's important to preserve their dignity and not to devalue them as a person, and to recognize the human spirit in all that we do."

The Scottsdale facility has 80 beds in 40 companion rooms, and Silverado is adding a putting green, children's play area, more offices and more outdoor space for residents. As of this week, it has 30 residents, and Parker expects to be at capacity in six to eight months.

The company wouldn't disclose its prices, but said they are based on an assessment.

According to the national Alzheimer's Association, an estimated 5.2 million Americans have Alzheimer's, and an estimated 10 million baby boomers are expected to develop the disease. The number of Arizonans 65 and older with Alzheimer's was estimated to increase from about 78,000 in 2000 to 97,000 in 2010.

"I think our clients are coming from all over," Parker said. "I'm moving someone in (this week) from Colorado. The children live here. A lot of people have chosen to retire here from different parts of the United States, and then start their journey with dementia while they're here."

Memory care means caring for and helping residents live with dementia, she said. "They are engaged pretty much from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m.," Parker said. "The (resident) engagement program allows them self-expression, and it allows them to have positive social interaction. It's all about building self-esteem."

Silverado encourages residents to bring their pets to live with them, and employees are encouraged to bring their children to work so there are children on sight to interact with residents.