The luxurious environment at Vista Springs Ravinia Estate is just part of what makes this senior support community ideal for those with dementia

By Ken McEntee

Finding a memory care community that deserves to have your mom or dad as a member can be daunting. Lou Andriotti, founder and CEO of Vista Springs, found himself in that position about a decade ago, relates Sheila James, chief transformation officer at Vista Springs Ravinia Estate, a luxury level memory care and assisted living community in Independence.

“The reason we’re here is because Lou couldn’t find a place that he felt was satisfactory for his mother, who had dementia,” Sheila says. “So he built her one. He was sure that he could do better than what he was seeing, so our company pretty much came about from his love for his mom. He felt that there was a hospitality component missing in the industry, and that’s what Vista Springs offers.”

Ravinia Estate, which opened in 2018, is one of three Vista Springs properties in Northeast Ohio.

“Our goal is to provide community members with a full-of-life experience,” promises Jessica Lewandowski, managing partner at Vista Springs Ravinia Estate.

Memory Care
The Vista Springs Ravinia Estate staff is particularly proud of its Rediscovery Neighborhood, a 24-suite memory care neighborhood, Sheila shares. The name implies Vista Springs’ holistic approach that inspires memory care community members to rediscover something new each day, Jessica explains.

“Community members in our Rediscovery Neighborhood are people with cognitive impairments, including diagnoses of various types of dementia,” she says “Typically for community members with cognitive impairment or memory loss, every day is a new day. What they know today, they may not know by end of the day or tomorrow. So they’re always rediscovering the moment.”

“The ‘Vista Springs way,’” Sheila insists, “is geared toward community members living in their moment versus them living in ours. It’s their day—not ours—which is why we focus on self-directed care. Some people may wake up a little bit later, have breakfast later and attend an activity after lunch. Some people are early risers and they’ll do breakfast before morning exercise. Our goal every day is to see how we can improve their quality of life and provide them an environment that they feel safe in, that makes them feel cared about and loved.”

Experts in Memory Care
All the staff members in the Rediscovery Neighborhood are specially trained and certified as dementia practitioners led by Jessica, who has an extensive background in memory care. She is a nurse who became Ravinia Estate’s health and wellness officer—the equivalent of the director of nursing in other facilities.

“Jessica has brought a high level of knowledge, experience and education for our families and our current community members, as well as our future community members,” Sheila says.

Jessica started her career as an aide and later became a nurse and a dementia practitioner who has led various teams during the past 20 years. She is nationally certified to teach and has spoken about memory care in several states outside Ohio.

“Here at Vista Springs, I started as the health and wellness officer bringing with me my dementia background,” she recalls. “Once I saw the building and how everything operated, I just knew it was the right fit for me, especially the philosophy of standing for what’s right for our community members so that they have a purpose in life that drives them and gives them joy.”

Helping people with memory conditions has long been a passion, Jessica reveals.

“I love to help people on their journey in any way I can to make it easier and more enjoyable for them,” she says. “As an aide I was exposed to many people who had different memory impairments and I had to find a variety of new ways to interact with them. I learned different approaches that would calm them so that we could move on and successfully complete our tasks. I feel that if I can give them back a little bit of themselves or ease their family’s transition, I feel like that is a purpose I have and a gift that I can provide.”

Vibrant Environment
Jessica touts Vista Springs’ vibrant environment, which she said is apparent both in the assisted living and Rediscovery units.

“Community members here become a part of the Vista Springs family,” Sheila says. “Once you’re a part of the family, you’re always a part of the family. That goes for the staff as well. We go on fun and interesting outings together. We laugh together and sometimes we cry together.”

Socialization is an important part of the everyday life of memory community members, Jessica says.

“I think socialization is the thing that people miss the most when they’re living alone,” she says. “I’ve given so many tours where a son or daughter says, ‘Mom just sits and watches TV all day.’ It might give her more joy just to sit and have a meal with someone versus sitting and eating by herself. For many seniors, that phone call that you give her every day might be the only interaction she has all day. It may be time to broaden her horizons with the opportunity to interact with other residents and participate in trips to restaurants and museums. I’ve heard so many family members say things like, ‘I haven’t seen Mom laugh like this in years.’”

Vista Springs offers a variety of activities to help stimulate memory in community members.

“We’ve done equine therapy and music therapy,” Jessica says. “We also do hand massages, exercise and deep breathing aroma therapies and a lot of brain games. The gardening club is a popular activity where memory care and assisted living community members can grow vegetables and flowers. They love getting outside and putting their hands in dirt, or even just sitting and looking at the lilac trees blooming all around us. We are on a nature preserve here with protected land behind us, so we have everything from wild turkeys, birds and deer to beautiful flowers. It’s a beautiful setting for community members who enjoy having breakfast or a cup of coffee on our outdoor bistro.”

Luxury Living
As a luxury level senior community, Ravinia Estate offers five-diamond amenities including three spas, a theater, fitness center, a bistro and a state-of-the-art exhibition kitchen, as well as 24/7 concierge services and nursing staff.

The bright and spacious suites, including those in the Rediscovery Neighborhood, showcase elegant, award-winning interior designs with upscale architectural features in studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom units with loads of storage space, en suite laundry facilities, and fireplaces. Cleaning and laundry services, as well as room service, are also available.

It’s simple to discover whether Vista Springs is the right community for you or your family member. You can schedule a tour by calling 216-232-4900. You also can learn more about Vista Springs at VistaSpringsLiving.com. Vista Springs Ravinia Estate is located at 6046 Brecksville Road, in Independence.