Memory Care
Sweet MemoriesTM Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care
If you are caring for a family member or loved one with Alzheimer’s disease or other form of dementia, know that you are not alone. Commonwealth Senior Living at South Boston is here to help. Whether it’s residential care for your loved one or education, guidance or support for the family caregiver, we are a valuable resource to the South Boston area.
Our award-winning memory care program – Sweet MemoriesTM –provides our residents with exceptional care, personalized support and an inspired lifestyle – and provides their families with peace of mind they haven’t felt for a long time.
Our people and their specialized memory care training make the difference. At the heart of Sweet MemoriesTM is our team of caregivers. All certified in Virtual Dementia Tour® training, they bring personal, insightful and practical understanding of the challenges presented by Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia to the care they deliver.
Sweet MemoriesTM
Innovative and thoughtful, Sweet Memories™ provides the most exceptional memory care experience available in the South Boston, VA area.
Every detail of this program has been carefully created to provide unprecedented care with an inspiring lifestyle. From inviting memory care neighborhoods that feel like home and specialized programming developed just for those with memory loss, to our experienced management team that brings inspired expertise to our program, our residents are in good, loving and capable hands.
At Commonwealth Senior Living at South Boston, we understand memory loss. We know that each person is at his or her own place on this journey – and more importantly, no two residents will have the exact care needs or retained abilities.
Sweet Memories™ takes a personalized approach to care, providing support that not only meets our residents where they are today, but that is also able to evolve as their needs and abilities change.
Program Components
Sweet Memories™ consists of three components to work together to deliver the best possible experience for our residents and their families.
Move-in: Whether moving to our South Boston community from their home or from a hospital, we guide our residents through every step of this journey, meeting every need, from physical to emotional.
Evaluation through life history: To deliver the most personalized care possible, we start by learning each resident’s life story. We conduct a comprehensive interview with family members. We talk. We ask questions. We listen. We get to know our residents on a personal level. We learn about their medical, mental, emotional, spiritual and intellectual needs, as well as their habits and preferences.
Resident-centered care plan: With this very personal knowledge, our leadership team creates a customized care plan to meet the specific needs and promote the retained abilities of the resident.
Signature Programs • Signature Experience
Our signature Sweet MemoriesTM programs make a tremendous difference in the lives of our residents and their families. Purposeful. Inspiring. Comforting. These programs have been crafted and perfected by Commonwealth Senior Living.
One Sweet Memory: Winner of the Best Practice Award from the Virginia Assisted Living Association (VALA), for going above and beyond the standards of care. Our team members regularly capture highlights of each resident’s day in photographs that are shared regularly with family members.
Expressions: When verbal skills begin to fail, art can become a means of self-expression for residents. Conversational prompting stimulates memories which residents can interpret using a variety of mediums, including painting.
Special Touch: Designed specifically for those with late-stage memory loss, this program provides “special touches” that make a difference in care. In the morning, before breakfast, residents enjoy citrus scented towels to awaken taste buds; before dinner, lavender scented towels help to relax, reinforce the natural circadian rhythm and encourage residents to enjoy their meals.
Sweet Melodies: For those with late-stage dementia who have lost verbal skills, Sweet Melodies stirs memories by using nostalgic music selected by family members.
SMILE™ Technology: Through SMILE™, we can remain connected to your loved one every day. This computer program enables us to keep you updated on your loved one’s participation in and enjoyment of our programming, sharing photos and stories with you on a daily basis.
Memory Care Life Stations: Thoughtful spaces invite your loved one to reconnect and engage with past hobbies, professions and passions.
Sweet Memories™ Services & Amenities:
- Healthy, family-style dining options that meet dining skill levels and nutritional needs
- Regularly scheduled activities that stimulate the mind and body, as well as customized socialization programs designed to fit the cognitive, social and mental skills of the resident
- Open and secure outdoor spaces such as courtyards and gardens
- Monthly support group meetings for families
- Private or companion suites with private baths
- Personal care services
- Medication management
- Weekly housekeeping/linens
- 24-hour staffing
- Open-door policy that encourages 24-hour visitation
- Monthly family night dinners
- Sweet Memories™ programming
- Community newsletter
