Marietta GA : Sterling Estates of West Cobb opened its new Memory Care Community, The Grande at Sterling Estates, on June 3, 2019. The Grande, with 36 resident suites and one of only 30 certified Centers of Excellence in the country, employs caregivers trained on a unique evidence-based approach to caring for those with dementia developed by the Hearthstone Institute and Dr. John Zeisel. The I’m Still Here® approach is based on the belief that a person living with Alzheimer’s or dementia, is “still here” and can experience a high quality of life regardless of the degree of memory loss.

 

Mike Brown, managing partner of Sterling Estates Senior Living Communities, noted: “With the opening of The Grande at Sterling Estates, we are excited about giving hope on a daily basis to those living with this horrible disease. We designed this building and the grounds in consultation with Dr. Zeisel, implementing his evidence-based, proven philosophy of caring for those with dementia and Alzheimer’s. We want to prove that those with the disease can still connect with others and find happiness through thoughtful and meaningful daily activities and interactions with others. We are excited to bring The Grande at Sterling Estates to those who need it in the greater Atlanta community.”

 

The Sterling Estates team and its architects, Rule Joy Trammel + Rubio, LLC,  along with Dr. Zeisel, designed The Grande at Sterling Estates with strategically placed common rooms and resident suites, creating a natural flow for residents that fit their patterns of movement throughout the day. This purposeful layout allowed a maximum amount of natural sunlight throughout the community. A beautifully landscaped, secure courtyard allows for residents to take walks throughout the day and experience the outdoors as they always have throughout their lives.

 

“The goal of the I’m Still Here® programming,” Dr. Zeisel explained, “is for residents of The Grande to live with daily purpose, discovery and joy that they might otherwise not have. While the major drug companies have spent billions of dollars in unsuccessful attempts to find a cure, we tackle the disease from a different non-pharmacological angle – to connect to people with the disease on a daily basis through their skills and capabilities that haven’t diminished over time or at least has done so more slowly. Using Montessori-inspired methods, the care team at The Grande does this throughout the day by engaging residents in clubs, classes, and committees. Residents are active throughout the day in group activities centered around art, music, hobbies and passions that can be rediscovered and enjoyed.”

 

“There is a new message to be heard,” Dr. Zeisel exclaimed. “People living with Alzheimer’s are still people. Alzheimer’s is treatable. Don’t give up. That’s the philosophy of those involved at The Grande at Sterling Estates and the philosophy we share with them.”