Parker Oaks Communities , Inc
Assisted Living with Memory Care

     In February 2011 we opened our new Assisted Living with Dementia Care unit.  We are able to accommodate up to six (6) residents in our newly remodeled facility.   Creating our dementia care unit was a fairly easy task since no heavy construction needed to be done.  We were able to use a pre-existing area that required very few  changes.  For example, key locks were added to the elevators and the doors were changed so that a number keypad is now used to open them.  And, to help our residents feel more at home, we have made a separate dining room and living room spaces so that their rooms will be used basically for bedtime.

     Prior to our addition, the nearest assisted living facility with dementia care was located in Fairmont and Mankato.  So we were not able to accommodate our local residents.  St. Luke's Lutheran Care Center in Blue Earth has a dementia unit in its nursing home, but not in assisted-living.

     Older adults sometimes have trouble leaving their home to receive care elsewhere, but in our assisted living with dementia care unit, our residents are welcome to bring belongings from home with them to try to make their new residence feel as much like home as possible.    
     The type of care we offer our residents is much different than regular care in our assisted living community, because everything is secured and supervised, with staff on hand 24 hours per day 7 days a week.  Our staff does activities with our residents right in our lounge area, but they will also accommodate them to other Parker Oaks daily activities.  It is very important that our memory care residents are able to socialize with other people.  Because of a better nurse to resident ratio, our staff is able to help our dementia residents and give them more one on one care that they require when confusion is at its worst.