The memory care portion of a larger assisted living community in Florida managed by The Goodman Group has officially reopened after a multi-million dollar renovation and expansion.
Pearl Essence, which opened in 2009, is designed exclusively for women with memory impairments and is part of Cypress Palms, an enhanced assisted living community that opened in 1996.
The Goodman Group saw the need for a women-only memory care program, a spokesperson told SHN, especially as women tend to live longer than men. Also, some families preferred for their loved ones to be in an all-women residence, as symptoms of Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia can lead to lack of judgment and diminished mental capacity.
Cypress Palms also has a co-ed memory care wing that serves residents with higher acuity levels. The overall community has 141 units, and 15 of those were added through Pearl Essence’s expansion.
“We are proud of the major renovation completed at Pearl Essence,” said Pradeep Muley, executive director of Cypress Palms, located at The Palms of Largo, in a statement. “The expansion of Pearl Essence is an extension of our memory care offerings at Cypress Palms and enables us to offer our innovative programming and therapies in a custom designed area that engages our residents’ senses to enhance their lives.”
The expanded Pearl Essence community contains 27 memory care apartments and newly refurbished interiors. The memory care campus features expanded lobby and lounge areas with raised ceilings and recessed cove lighting, a redesigned kitchen and dining area, and a new sun porch.
There are also “outdoor porches” in the corridors designed for visual engagement, along with custom-painted works and murals by a local artist, including sky murals on the ceilings and paintings of simulated windows and a local Florida scenic mural.
Pearl Essence has its own activity programming and coordinator, and residents are still “very much a part of the community,” says sales and marketing associate Lindsey Edwards, with the security of having a secured home.
The Goodman Group utilizes the Pearls of Life philosophy, a national dementia program providing personalized care plans and a home-like environment. Pearl Essence is a self-contained, secure environment for residents.
Written by Alyssa Gerace
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