Wellness
Memory care a component of assisted living
Memory-care units are separate facilities from-assisted living communities that cater to
people with dementia or other memory issues.
ewYork-Presbyterian
Medical Group Brooklyn
celebrated the grand
opening of new medical offices
at 38 Sixth Avenue with
a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The downtown location, just
steps from the Barclays Center,
brings to the community
a team of specialists – including
experts from Weill Cornell
Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian
Brooklyn Methodist
Hospital - on-site procedures,
and seamless access to the resources
and services of NYP
Brooklyn Methodist Hospital.
The state-of-the-art medical
offices currently house
adult and pediatric orthopedic,
radiology, podiatry,
neurosurgery and physical
medicine and rehabilitation
services. Procedures offered
on site include X-rays, casting,
blood drawing, fluoroscopic
and other pain management
modalities and nerve blocks.
The medical group will also
soon expand clinical services
to include comprehensive
urological services. Urologists
will perform vasectomy,
lithotripsy, urodynamic testing,
cystoscopy and other procedures
on site. Additionally,
NYP Medical Group Brooklyn
will offer primary care,
geriatrics, neurology and cardiology
services, which will
include cardiac stress testing,
cardiac ultrasound and electrocardiogram
(EKG).
Working closely with
the Downtown Brooklyn
Neighborhood Alliance, Inc.
(DBNA), NewYork-Presbyterian
Medical Group Brooklyn
developed the site with
COURIER L 32 IFE, DEC. 21–27, 2018 DT
the aim of meeting the community’s
needs and providing
convenient access to exceptional
care in one of the borough’s
fastest growing neighborhoods.
The medical office
was built in fulfillment of the
historic 2005 Atlantic Yards
Community Benefits Agreement.
Seeing the need for
more comprehensive, quality
health care in the downtown
Brooklyn area, the DBNA
negotiated with the Atlantic
Yards Project Developer to
place a community health facility
in the footprint of the
project. The developer agreed,
built the facility, and helped
to facilitate a partnership between
the DBNA and New
York Presbyterian Medical
Group Brooklyn.
Robert Guimento, president
of NewYork-Presbyterian
Brooklyn Methodist Hospital;
Steven Silber, D.O., chief
medical officer and chief quality
officer of New York-Presbyterian
Brooklyn Methodist
Hospital, regional executive
medical director of NewYork-
Presbyterian Medical Group
Brooklyn and a clinical assistant
professor of emergency
medicine at Weill Cornell
Medicine; Reverend Dr. Herbert
D. Daughtry, and founding
chair of DBNA, Brooklyn
Borough President Eric L. Adams
gave remarks and cut the
ribbon to officially unveil the
new facility.
“With this beautiful new
facility, patients in this part
of Brooklyn have incomparable
care right at their doorstep,”
said Dr. Silber. “Combining
outstanding care with
unmatched convenience is
our goal in opening NYP Medical
Group Brooklyn locations
throughout the borough.”
“We want to make healthcare
easy to access for the people
of Brooklyn,” says Robert
Guimento, president of New-
York-Presbyterian Brooklyn
Methodist Hospital. “At this
location, we have had the
privilege of working with the
DBNA, an outstanding group
with years of experience serving
this community. We expect
our patients will greatly
benefit from the unique insight
and guidance provided
to us by the DBNA.”
“This health care facility
represents what can happen
when developers, health
and social services, and community
based organizations
work together. Everyone
wins,” said Reverend Dr. Herbert
D. Daughtry, founding
chair of the DBNA and minister
of The House of the Lord
Churches.
—New York-Presbyterian
Brooklyn Methodist Hospital
Aging brings about many changes,
including some that may compromise
seniors’ ability to remain
independent. In such instances,
many families consider assisted-living
facilities for their aging relatives.
More than 835,000 Americans currently
reside in assisted-living communities,
according to the National
Center for Assisted Living. While
communities and homes provide various
services, one service in particular
may be needed for seniors with Alzheimer’s
disease, other dementias, or
memory problems. Memory-care units
are separate facilities that cater to people
with dementia or other memory issues.
According to the senior residence
referral and resource guide “A Place
for Mom,” memory care is a distinct
form of long-term skilled nursing.
Also called special-care units, memory
care facilities provide 24-hour supervised
care. This care is often carried
out in a separate wing or fl oor of a
residential facility or community.
Memory-care facilities aim to provide
a safe and secure environment for
residents. This means limiting entry
or egress to other areas of the facility
for those who may have trouble navigating
and remembering where they
started out. The Alzheimer’s Association
notes that six in 10 people with
dementia will wander and become
disoriented. This is dangerous for the
individual and others. Memory-care
units often have alarms and “wander
guard” precautions in place to make
sure residents cannot roam unsupervised
and risk injury.
Another goal of memory care is to
provide a stress-free, structured lifestyle
that has set schedules and routines,
states Brookdale Senior Living.
This can help keep distress minimal
and make for more comfortable and
happy residents.
In addition, memory-care units offer
programs that help slow the progression
of dementias and cultivate
cognitive skills. Fitness exercises,
games, specialty food programs, activities,
and much more may be offered
to make residents more comfortable.
Memory-care facilities include common
spaces for socialization, meals
and activities.
“Alzheimer’s patients must maintain
their activity, walking, interacting
with music, and art,” says Lory
Bright-Long, MD, CMD, of the American
Medical Directors Association.
“We have to awaken the senses so that
the memory can have a hook. This is
accomplished in the memory-care setting.”
It is important for those considering
assisted living and nursing home
facilities to inquire about specifi c
memory-care units if a loved one requires
this environment. Start the
search at APlaceForMom.com.