Compass on the Bay in Boston Celebrates "Grand Unveiling"

Posted on 09/22/2010
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Compass on the Bay, a state-of-the-art free-standing Memory Support Assisted Living community serving Boston and South Shore seniors with Alzheimer’s disease celebrated its “Grand Unveiling” this past week. Senior Living Residences (SLR), a Boston-based assisted living company, considers Compass on the Bay its flagship Alzheimer’s care community, the first to fully implement its “Compass Memory Support Neighborhood” program: research-based treatment of the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease in the residential-style assisted living setting.

Compass on the Bay, located overlooking Carson Beach with views of the JFK Presidential Library, has just undergone a $3 million renovation which created new indoor and outdoor living spaces and an expansive new front porch. The community now offers a state-of-the-art living environment for seniors with a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of memory impairment.

On Thursday evening, SLR welcomed elder care professionals, local business owners, and community leaders to a Grand Unveiling event, at which guests toured the newly renovated community and observed for themselves SLR’s Alzheimer’s care difference.  Representing the Boston University School of Medicine’s Alzheimer’s Disease Center, with which SLR is partnered, was Dr.Nancy Emerson Lombardo, one of the co-founders of the National Alzheimer’s Association. Also in attendance were Nick Collins, Democratic nominee for State Representative of the Fourth Suffolk District, who won the Democratic Primary just days before; his father, James Collins, a former state legislator; and an estimated 60 elder-care professionals, all with great appreciation for SLR’s cutting-edge Compass Memory Support programming. In addition, the team behind the renovation celebrated the culmination of their hard work and vision; David Udelsman, architect on the project, H&H Builders of Dorchester, general contactor, and Art Currier of Currier & Associates, interior designer, all were in attendance. 

Dr. Nancy Emerson Lombardo, adjunct research professor at BU and President of HealthCare Insights, LLC, had this to say about the event: “Senior Living Residences is to be congratulated on a successful renovation of the former BayView to create a beautiful and functional Compass on the Bay, to provide state of-the-art residential treatment for individuals with memory loss. As a faculty member with the Boston University School of Medicine’s Alzheimer’s Disease Center (BUADC), I salute Tadd Clelland, Bob Larkin, and their talented team at Compass and Senior Living Residences for continuously improving a multi-dimensional treatment program including nutrition, learning/cognitive therapy, physical exercise and much more, all based on the latest research evidence. Through Senior Living Residences’ affiliation with the BUADC, SLR is kept abreast of the current science, but also has access to medical assessments and treatment, and opportunities to participate in ongoing research studies.”

SLR’s Compass Memory Support takes a completely new approach in the assisted living industry by actually treating the symptoms of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. The new community, Compass on the Bay, is also unique in that it addresses the needs of seniors exhibiting the early symptoms of memory loss – often diagnosed as Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). MCI is marked by memory loss and mild confusion, and is often described as the stage between forgetfulness associated with normal aging and Alzheimer’s disease. Attentive family members may notice the early warning signs of memory loss or dementia: repeating questions; unnecessary worrying about small matters; difficulty following medication instructions; misplacing or not paying bills; and reduced interest in socializing and hobbies. SLR’s innovative research-based programs are designed to treat this group of seniors, and potentially delay the progression of their dementia.

At Compass on the Bay those individuals with a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease and other memory related disorders reside in the community’s secure Compass Memory Support Neighborhood. Benefiting from the same type of programming, residents thrive in this smaller environment, with an exceptionally high staff-to-resident ratio.

Tadd Clelland, SLR Principal, manages the daily operations of Compass on the Bay. He said, “Residents of Compass on the Bay benefit from SLR’s research-based non-pharmacological treatment programming, including the “brain-healthy” Memory Preservation Nutrition® Program, developed by internationally recognized Nancy Emerson Lombardo, PhD. SLR, the only assisted living company in the nation to offer this program, has developed a wide repertoire of recipes based on the principles of the Memory Preservation Nutrition® Program. Other initiatives include a curriculum-based learning program called Reconnections, a comprehensive Respite Stay program for seniors with mild memory loss, medication assessments with a geriatric-specialized pharmacist in an effort to avoid hospitalizations, and a Lifetime Achievement award program designed to combat the isolation and anonymity experienced by seniors with memory loss.”

Alzheimer’s disease, which currently affects 5 million Americans, is expected to rise steadily until it reaches epidemic proportions by 2050. The health care industry anticipates that the sheer numbers of seniors who will have difficulties with memory loss and need assistance in the coming decade could overwhelm medical resources. The majority of these seniors will also need service-enhanced housing.

SLR has implemented Compass Memory Support programming in five other assisted living communities with Memory Support Neighborhoods that SLR owns and/or manages in Massachusetts: Compass at Golden Pond, Hopkinton, MA; Concord Park, Concord, MA; Methuen Village, Methuen, MA; Neville Place, Cambridge, MA and Standish Village, Boston, MA.

About Senior Living Residences: Fervently adhering to its “Right Values”— Resident Quality of Life, Valued Associates, Integrity and Innovation—SLR is a trusted leader in the communities it serves through innovative programs and services. Partnering with equally committed organizations, such as the Boston University School of Medicine’s Alzheimer’s Disease Center, SLR remains at the forefront of research-based care for seniors, especially those living with Alzheimer’s disease. Senior Living Residences has been on the cutting edge in terms of their programming and management of assisted living residences for the last 20 years. SLR currently manages 10 assisted living communities, 2 of which it owns. For more information, contact SLR at 617-268-9140 or online at www.SeniorLivingResidences.com.