The recent switch to Daylight Savings time can be a difficult adjustment for those living with dementia. Hear from Regional Memory Care Coordinator Laurie Welch Guthrie about maintaining the well-being of a person living with dementia throughout upcoming changes in schedules and weather.
Continue reading “Spring and its Effects on People With Dementia”
Making the decision to move a loved one into Memory Care can often be difficult. Learn more about the benefits of Memory Care and more from Welch Senior Living’s Laurie Welch Guthrie, MSW, LCSW, CDP, Regional Memory Care Coordinator, and Senior Social Worker.
Continue reading “When is Memory Care Appropriate?”
Come bloom with us this Spring! Call Today – For an Older Relative, Friend, or Yourself.
Continue reading “Make This Spring Everything You Want it to “Bee””
An unmatched foundation. A fresh perspective. Learn more about Welch Senior Living’s Memory Care Program leaders, Shannon Fenerjian, RN, CDP, and Laurie Welch Guthrie, LCSW, MSW, CDP, and the experiences they bring to their roles in support of residents and families.
Continue reading “A Fresh Take on The South Shore’s Leading Memory Care Program”
Read more about Duxbury House Memory Care Residence at The Village in our latest newsletter!
Continue reading “Welch Duxbury Dispatch: A Joint Duxbury House and Allerton House Assisted Living Newsletter”
Find maintenance-free living at our Welch Senior Living communities and leave your snow shovels behind! Enjoy spacious apartment homes and a variety of socialization opportunities and activities to experience a lifestyle of comfort, safety, and engagement.
Call Today – For an Older Relative, Friend, or Yourself.
Learn more about a recent webinar, hosted by Senior Helpers, on how seasonal changes can affect those living with dementia and other forms of brain change.
Continue reading ““Changing Seasons, Changing Circadian Patterns” with Dementia Care Expert, Teepa Snow”
Duxbury House Memory Care Residence receives wonderful words of appreciation from families. To anyone who has sent in such a message, we say “Thank You!” Caring for your loved ones is our privilege.
“When my husband and I were looking for a retirement community 9 years ago, we would only consider ones that were Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs) and so we moved to The Village at Duxbury, which has the newly renovated Duxbury House Memory Care Residence on campus. Over the years our individual needs have changed, with my husband now being a resident at Duxbury House Memory Care since August 2022. The space is open and bright, with a lovely, inviting decor. The food is very good with varied menus and options available to suit personal tastes. But above all else, my family and I are delighted with the care the Duxbury House staff provides. The RNs and Aides are kind, knowledgeable, and supportive of the residents as is the activities staff. The staff has encouraged my husband to participate in various activities which he does with much enjoyment. His favorites include the visiting therapy animals, musical presentations, and of course the Sock Hop!”
-Rochelle K.
Family Member Testimonial
“For almost 3 years, [our loved one] had dealt with the growing effects of Alzheimer’s. It was a very hard and painful decision to decide that she needed residential care at a Memory Care Residence. Our decision to choose Duxbury House has been a terrific choice. The care they provide to each resident is beyond what I ever thought was possible. Each staff member whether they are activity coordinators, office staff, nurses, general help, or cooking staff all know all of the residents and go out of their way to support and help them with daily activities.
The Residence is first class with a layout designed for resident support and activities. They keep residents active with news discussions, exercise, arts and crafts, painting, games (physical and mental), and community meetings.
The food is excellent with dedicated chefs who are very accommodating to each resident’s schedule. I visit almost daily and see the support the staff gives to all residents and it is very comforting to know how they are treated.
Since coming to Duxbury House, [our loved one] has become more relaxed and she feels safe and secure. I am so relieved that she is in such a safe environment for her and that she is enjoying her daily routines.”
-Mike S.
Family Member Testimonial
“Duxbury House was such an incredible find! My family and I feel so fortunate to have our mom living in such a warm and caring environment. The physical space is beautifully decorated, bright, cheerful, and clean, and there are lovely outdoor areas that are frequently used for activities, socializing, or just lounging about. The atmosphere is so homey, truly calming, and comforting. More importantly, the staff is remarkable. They provide activities galore to keep the residents active and engaged and are so wonderfully attentive and kind, meeting the needs of each individual in a way that appears seamless. To sum it up, Duxbury House has become my mom’s safe place and anyone that’s familiar with dementia knows that you can’t ask for much more than that. Thank you, Duxbury House.”
– Janice F.
Family Member Testimonial
“Virtually every staff member at Duxbury House – including the aides, nurses, kitchen and custodial staff – has been exceptionally kind, thoughtful, loving, and caring in my experience. It really is quite amazing to be able to say this about any organization, but it is true of Duxbury House. Everyone who has worked with our family has been exceptional and deserves recognition for their efforts. You all have our love and gratitude for what you do.”
– Ted C.
Family Member Testimonial
“When you come here, you feel like you’re truly part of a community. And when our individual health needs changed, it has been such a relief that the village at Duxbury has been so well equipped to my wife and I transition into new accommodations that allow us to remain close to each other and to the groups, activities, and friendships we’ve become so involved in.”
-Ernie T.
Family Member Testimonial
“The staff at the Duxbury House provide a safe and caring environment. The staff made it so easy for our loved one to settle into her new environment. She is always happily engaged with the staff and other residents. It brings us great comfort to see how she is content, happy, and active.”
– Bill D.
Family Member Testimonial
The following is a video testimonial from Duxbury House family member Ed D.
The following is a video testimonial from Duxbury House family member Ted C.
The Welch Senior Living communities joined forces on Saturday, September 24 at Nelson Memorial Park in Plymouth for the annual Walk to End Alzheimer’s.
Continue reading “Duxbury House Participates in 2022 Walk to End Alzheimer’s®”
To read the original article in the Patriot Ledger, please visit their website.
A Good Age: How 2 families decided to move loved ones into memory care
Duxbury House changes lives for Plymouth families
Sue Scheible, The Patriot Ledger
11/23/21
DUXBURY – Anne Donovan was one of eight siblings growing up in Dorchester in the 1950s.
“She is not the type I envisioned having Alzheimer’s,” her younger sister Barbara Ready, of Plymouth, said.
A graduate of Emmanuel College, Donovan was outgoing, articulate, “a mover and a shaker, an in-charge kind of person.” She blossomed during a long career as a chief juvenile probation officer in Dedham and later embraced political roles in state and federal agencies.
She worked for former Gov. Michael Dukakis, with Hillary Clinton on the White House Millennium Council and for a Washington, D.C., law firm until she was 72.
She returned to Massachusetts, had homes in Duxbury and Plymouth and managed well until 2020, despite growing memory problems.
“A year ago, we felt we couldn’t leave her alone,” Ready said. “She wasn’t cooking, was not eating, couldn’t drive. She would go walking and get lost. We were nervous about another winter.”
As families gather for the holidays after being apart last year due to COVID restrictions, it will be a time for also considering what the future may hold for older relatives.
Ted Curtin, of Plymouth, describes his parents, Grace, 96, and Ted, 95, as a couple who “have never really been apart” in 67 years of marriage.
His father, a U.S. Naval Academy graduate, had a long career as a submarine commander, then taught history at his alma mater, Norwood High School, for 10 years. His mother was a court officer in the Dedham courthouse. The couple retired to Plymouth, where Ted portrayed Master Jones on the Mayflower II replica for 17 years in the 1980s and 1990s.
Grace began to develop memory problems and the couple moved to independent living at the Village at Duxbury, a senior community, where they managed well until Ted fell and broke his hip in 2019.
To help keep his parents together, their son Ted moved into their Village apartment for six weeks while his dad’s hip healed. When COVID arrived in 2020, however, and the state shutdown took hold, “we were worried my folks wouldn’t be able to find sufficient assistance and it would be too much for my dad to handle,” Ted said.
In the fall of 2020, the Donovans and the Curtins were at a loss about what to do. Just in time, a new alternative became available when Duxbury House opened at the Village at Duxbury in October 2020.
Targeted memory care is one of the newer options for families in the spectrum of elder services as more people live longer. Duxbury House, which is part of Welch Senior Living, is described as an assisted living residence with memory care expertise and programs. It is designed for people who do not need skilled nursing home care but do need constant supervision.
Merry Dalahmeh, a nurse, is executive director of Duxbury House. The central mission, she said, is “getting to know each resident and watching them enjoy their days.”
“Although we are not a skilled nursing center, we can accommodate residents’ needs as if they were in their own home,” she said. “We have a visiting nurse come in and do dressings and lab draws if a resident needs that, and a couple of residents have received hospice services as they would at home.”
The living space is designed to be cozy and home-like. There are two households. Each has 12 bedrooms, a dining area, a living room or community space, an area for arts and crafts and a den with TV.
The staff-resident ratio is one nurse and two home health aides for 12 residents. The aides all receive dementia certification training.
Shadessha Stallworth, 31, of Brockton, has been a home health aide for five years and chose to work in memory care.
“I enjoy the appreciation of the residents,” she said. “I listen to their stories and I just have a passion for it. I used to take care of my grandmother.”
The dementia certification has given her insights into what to expect and what to do if residents with dementia become anxious and want to go home.
“If they are sad, I might give them a hug, or try to do something to cheer them up, talk about what they like, or their past, or suggest we watch a movie,” Stallworth said. “We also have support from the nurses and other aides.”
“This has really proved to be a godsend,” Grace and Ted Curtin’s son Ted said. “With the onset of COVID, it really gave us a great deal of security to know my folks are safe and well taken care of. The staff are affectionate, kind and caring and have a sense of how to be with people with memory issues. They have all sorts of things to keep people engaged and thinking – fun things, thoughtful things. The rapport between my folks and the staff really makes you feel good about where they are.”
Ready said, “It is not an easy decision to take someone out of their home, and for every family it’s different.”
Donovan has five brothers and sisters and all were involved.
“We all started investigating and we liked the philosophy of the Duxbury House. It seemed something Annie would enjoy. She would be safe and engaged. The social piece of her life had been huge and she no longer had it.”
Last week, Donovan was moving from one activity to another with confidence, and as Ready watched her, she said, “She has stopped asking when was she going home to her own house. She is very comfortable and I think she thinks that she works there.”
To read the original article, please visit The Patriot Ledger Website.
Reach Sue Scheible at sscheible@patriotledger.com.