At Altenheim Shurmer Place Memory Assisted Living, their motto “We’ve always stood for family” rings true—and it’s making a huge difference in the lives of their residents.

By Ken McEntee

Isolation can be confusing and traumatic—particularly for people with dementia. That’s why Linda Begley, activity director at Shurmer Place Memory Assisted Living at Altenheim, quickly arranged FaceTime visits between residents and family members when Ohio’s Covid-19 isolation orders went immediately into effect last spring.

“It’s the kind of thing we do here because we feel that we are an extension of our residents’ families—and the families also view us that way,” says Beth Seese, director of nursing and director of memory assisted living. “They trust us to do the right thing in caring for their parents or other loved ones, and I believe the families sleep better at night knowing that Mom or Dad are in good hands.”

Shurmer Place Memory Assisted Living is an intimate, 38-apartment community divided into smaller, color coded “neighborhoods” that facilitate familiarity and lessen confusion with an open and light environment. This environment is due to a focus on the Planetree philosophy, which provides residents with a tranquil environment with a connection to nature. The exposure to natural light from expansive windows, secure outdoor courtyards, and four-season rooms helps to supplement the warm, positive atmosphere that reflects Shurmer Place’s dedicated staff, Beth says.

“It’s a very welcoming, non-institutional environment,” she insists. “Everyone smiles—not because they’re told to, but also because what they do here comes from within themselves. We truly enjoy taking care of these folks and we go out of our way to do things for them—just as we would for a family member. If a resident’s family is from out of town and he or she needs socks, we don’t wait for somebody to send them in the mail. We’ll just go to the store and buy socks. We spend the time to be sure their hair and nails look nice, or maybe they want makeup on. Whatever we can do to help our residents feel good about themselves.”

With Covid-19 restricting visits from family, Linda said the staff has filled in.

“We have resident companions, dietary staff, receptionists—everybody pitching in to make sure that every resident has somebody to talk to—to be sure they feel loved and appreciated.”

The compelling activities offered at Shurmer Place are important to give meaning to the days of a memory care patient, Linda says.

“Our activities aim to optimize each day and allow each resident to be the person they are right now at this moment,” Linda explains. “Everything we do here is geared toward making each resident feel like a person who has accomplished something each day. We want each day to be a good day with moments of joy.”

Along with daily activities—which might include music, exercise, or brain stimulating math puzzles or word challenges—Shurmer Place frequently offers special programs that facilitate interaction with youth or other people in the community.

Opening Minds through Art, for example, is a program that pairs people with dementia with high school volunteers to create art. Residents’ work is displayed in a public gallery at the end of the program.

“The high school volunteers develop friendships with the residents while learning about how to take care of our elderly population,” Linda says.

Through an Adopt a Grandparent program, children send letters, arts and crafts to residents during the summer.

“Not being able to have personal interaction this summer, it was very special for residents to receive a crayon colored picture from a child,” Linda recalls.

Finding the right community for a memory impaired family member can be stressful, Beth says. She can help by coming to your home for an assessment.

Video and Zoom tours of Altenheim Shurmer Place Memory Assisted Living are available by calling Beth at 440-268-1048. Shurmer Place is located at 18545 Shurmer Road, at Route 42, in Strongsville. You can learn more at Altenheim.com.