Residence on Greenbelt Memory Care Program Inspires Near and Far

Nov. 23, 2012 - PRLog -- Those who call The Residence on Greenbelt home and their families have seen first-hand how the IntegraCare Corporation community’s Memory Care Program can improve the quality of life.

    A renowned author also is familiar with the program and its impact on residents coping with memory loss. Award-winning novelist Marita Golden found inspiration at Greenbelt as she works on an upcoming novel.

    “Marita Golden decided to use our community for her research,” said Cissy Nickel, Director of Sales and Marketing at Residence on Greenbelt. “The book focuses on memory care and a couple who finds out the husband is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease. Marita’s using our community to do research.

    “She still is writing the book and has visited us multiple times, has conducted phone calls and sent us emails to do her research. It really is extraordinary that she chose our community for this project.”

    The Residence on Greenbelt Memory Care Program assists residents and their families year-round. But the community’s significance is magnified this month, as November is National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month and National Family Caregivers Month.

     “What makes IntegraCare programs so effective in general and certainly at Greenbelt is that we truly specialize in memory impairments and have developed cutting edge programs that are individualized to maintain and stimulate those pieces of the brain that are still active in each of our residents,” Nickel said. “These are people who are, for the most part, very high functioning. Some people have the misperception that it means they are slow, which is simply not the case.

    “Every single person in our community is trained in memory care,” Nickel added. “They are trained how to interact, and how to work with people to truly maximize what cognitive functions they have left to improve their lives.”

     The IntegraCare Memory Care Program has six primary objectives:

·         To provide opportunities for meaningful activities promoting quality of life.

·         A focus on remaining skill and abilities.

·         Create an environment that facilitates a sense of belonging.

·         Provide opportunities that ensure purposeful use of time.

·         Support positive behaviors and reduce risk of incidents of negative behavior.

·         Provide an experience for verbal and non-verbal communication.

   “We have every single resident fill out a life story,” Nickel said. “The family completes the entire story from everything from the different family members, what their careers were, what hobbies they like, anything they’ve touched throughout their lives.”

    Residents are encouraged to participate in productive work typical of their former lifestyle as part of the Memory Care Program.

    Recreational activities and memory and sensory activities are integrated into the structured daily routine. The dining services program promotes independence by serving appropriate foods and portions.

For More information, contact Cissy Nickel, Director of Sales and Marketing, Residence on Greenbelt, at 301.486.1590 or cnickel@integracare.com. On the Web visit TheResidenceonGreenbelt.com or follow us on Facebook. Walk-in visits are welcome. The Residence on Greenbelt is located at 9885 Greenbelt Road, Lanham, MD.

About IntegraCare

IntegraCare’s mission is to “improve the quality of life for its employees, residents and their families.” The company’s goal is to create an environment where its primary customer, the employee, experiences respect, dignity and personal development. By providing this environment for its employees, the second half of the mission “improve the quality of life for our residents and their families” will be achieved.