We understand the stress this causes for the family, but more importantly we have seen
the ways that a small family household can become limiting and under-stimulating for the person with dementia. Studies show that people with cognitive impairment constitute approximately forty percent of those living in Assisted Living in the United States today.

The advantages of specialized Assisted Living
  • Security in a setting that is designed for safety and support.
  • Respect for individual choice in foods, dress, possessions and sleeping schedule.
  • Staff who are particularly well trained in understanding the spoken and unspoken     preferences of each individual, and who know how to support the highest level of     functioning instead of undermining the individual's independence.
  • Incorporation of family and community with each individual's daily life.
  • Reduced cost: Assisted Living typically costs about 85% of the nursing home rate for     the same level of care. The additional costs in nursing homes can be attributed to     requirements that do not, in fact, add to the quality of life or care. Home care,
    especially if it includes maintaining a separate household for the person with dementia,     quickly becomes much more costly than assisted living.

Enhanced Life Treatment Program
Many residents can live out their lives at Hearthstone by using Enhanced services. The Enhanced Life Program offers smaller, quieter living arrangements, more nursing attention,
a three-to-one ratio of direct care staff throughout waking hours and other specialized services. The overall ambience is calmer and quieter.

Pets, massage, aroma therapy, soft music, quiet conversation in small groups all soothe and mildly stimulate residents during the hours of the day in which they are not sleeping
or receiving personal care. Personal care is done in teams of two people. Special diets. including mechanically altered and pureed food, are available as some residents require more time and more assistance with eating.