Sherwood, OR – The Springs at Sherwood, located just a few blocks from Sherwood’s historic Old Town, is planning to expand its current offering of 36 assisted living and 31 memory care, to include an additional 20 assisted living and 73 independent living apartment homes. The addition will bring a total offering of 160 units to The Springs at Sherwood.

“We are excited to add independent living to our community. This expansion provides an important living option to seniors looking for an active and supportive lifestyle right here in Sherwood,” commented Jay Leo, chief operations officer of The Springs Living.

The expanded property will include the signature Fancho’s Public House, along with a formal dining experience; wellness and fitness areas; outdoor living spaces; multiple activity facilities and a theater. The Springs Living purchased the property in the fall of 2012 and promptly added a memory care option to the community to fulfill a needed level of care in Sherwood. The planned expansion will provide seniors with new options for living independently in a supportive community designed to flex and change with their personal lifestyle and needs of care.

The Springs Living, an Oregon-based company headquartered in McMinnville, currently operates 11 communities across Oregon and four in Montana. Fee Stubblefield started the business in 1996 out of his desire to create a warm and comfortable home for his grandmother. The Springs Living continues to hold onto that small, local flavor even during growth and expansion.

“The Springs at Sherwood has been providing excellent service for seniors and their families and we wanted to take that quality to the next level,” says founder of The Springs Living, Fee Stubblefield. “That’s why we’re adding an independent living option and additional amenities to the existing community,” Stubblefield offered.

Construction on the expansion is anticipated to begin in summer of 2017. Several floor plan options will be available, including studio, one bedroom and two bedroom.

The Springs at Sherwood is located at 15677 SW Oregon Street, Sherwood, OR 97140.

About The Springs Living
The Springs Living is a locally owned senior housing company headquartered in McMinnville, Oregon. Founded in 1996, The Springs Living has grown steadily, and currently has 11 retirement communities in Oregon and four in Montana. Home care services are offered in the Portland-Metro and Rogue Valley areas. The Springs Living focuses on offering seniors a continuum of care with options such as independent living, assisted living, memory care and home care services. The Springs Living is building a reputation for helping people experience senior living differently. For more information about The Springs Living visit www.TheSpringsLiving.com.

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Clark County, WA – Make a difference in the life of a family caregiver! The Alzheimer’s Association is currently recruiting local volunteers to facilitate Family Caregiver Support Groups in Camas and Washougal. Family Caregiver Support Groups provide a consistent and caring place for caregivers to learn, share, and gain emotional support from others who are also on a unique journey of providing care to a person with memory loss. Our Chapter trained volunteers receive excellent training, ongoing support, resources, and continuing education opportunities.

Individuals who are often best qualified as support group facilitators include: working or retired social workers, nurse and other healthcare professionals, educators, clergy, counselors, and former family caregivers. Commitment of at least one year is required

Interested in learning more? Contact Linda Whiteside, Director of Community Support, 1.800.848.7097 or 206.529.3875, lwhitesi@alzwa.org.

About the Alzheimer’s Association

The Alzheimer’s Association is the world’s leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer’s care, support and research. Our mission is to eliminate Alzheimer’s disease through the advancement of research; to provide and enhance care and support for all affected; and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health. Our vision is a world without Alzheimer’s. For more information, visit www.alz.org.

Emerson House has been asked to be ongoing host to a group of OHSU medical residents so that they can learn about their memory care program and spend time with residents.

OHSU Medical students during a recent visit to Emerson House.

Medical schools across the country are increasingly focusing on teaching doctors how to better understand and relate to the people they will be caring for. With the aging of America and the exponential rise in Alzheimer’s, it’s crucial that doctors will be able to recognize the early signs of the disease as well as understand the varied needs of those with Alzheimer’s and other dementia.

Two things in particular are critical. First, that doctors can identify the disease in its early stages. This is particularly difficult in people who have a lifetime of accomplishments and social skills to draw upon.

Second is how to meet the needs of a population that can’t readily articulate for themselves if they’re in pain, what brings them joy, when they’re having a delusion or that the reason they’re not eating is that they’ve forgotten how to use their forks.

The first group of residents met with Erin Jones, Executive Director, who gave them an overview of our program and answered questions about dementia. Afterwards, they spent time on each of the floors with the residents, and participated in an activity with Lindsey Bretzman, Life Enrichment Director. Their next visit is set for July.

Testimonial

Hello Erin,
How did you think the visit went?
I thought it went great and I thank you. As Philippe Thuillier shared, when I asked his feedback, the visit was an “A”. Philippe is part of the core who designs the “Medical Student Learning Collaborative on Cognitive Impairment.”  He was delighted and said that you are “a natural” in terms of engaging student interest and compassion as well as for breaking the ice for what can be a tense environment to enter. He pointed out that through all your anecdotes of the residents, we already “knew the people” when we met them. He said that you have “a magic” for making the group comfortable, because these (dementia, long term care, old age) are things we are uncomfortable about.
To improve, we thought it would be nice to have lunch with the residents. There isn’t a thing we’d change about the day, except wanting to have that engagement piece and perhaps lunch on the third floor, or wherever you think it would work with residents, would be great. He thought too, if it is not to disturbing for residents, the “challenges of the care worker” (especially at mealtimes) can be good to see/understand. (Also, as a side note, I felt like we were expecting a lot from you to be “on” that whole time…)
Linda and I suggested, and I don’t know what decision Philippe and team will make, that students not wear their white coats/not enter as doctors, but engage and learn as people, as the white coat (and you spoke well about this) changes things. We shall see what is decided on that.
So, great job, thank you and we will be in touch with student feedback and to set a date for November.

Natasha

Natasha Spoden
Senior Research Assistant
Layton Aging & Alzheimer’s Disease Center
Oregon Health & Science University
3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd. (CR131)
Portland, OR 97239