Seniors For Living

There is nothing simple about Alzheimer’s. However, anyone who has ever known, loved, or cared for an individual living with this disease should understand one simple thing: no matter how much the disease has changed the person, that person is still valuable, still very much aware of feelings and surroundings, still your Grandpa, mother, sister, uncle.

Dorrie Ferster says it best: “These people have lost some of their cognitive abilities, but they haven’t lost that existential part of them that makes them so human.”

Ferster is the manager of the Czorny Alzheimer Centre in Surrey (Vancouver, British Columbia). The unique Alzheimer’s care home was recently highlighted in this post from TheProvince.com.

Three cottages comprise the Centre: the Rose Garden, Sweet Pea, and Pansy Lane are designed to feel more like home than a healthcare facility. Fireplaces, strawberry patches, a hall with a dance floor, and plenty of communal kitchens where baking is encouraged are among the home’s features, where person-centered care is provided. Staff at the Centre are careful to learn about each individual, tailoring dementia care to the person’s specific needs and preferences. Adds Ferster, “Once you learn about a person, what their routine is, what are their likes, their hopes, how they lived, you can modify your care for people.”

Read more about Alzheimer’s care here, or search for care options in your state.