New Memory Support Assisted Living Facility Opens in S. Boston

Senior Living Residences (SLR), a Boston-based assisted living company, has announced the opening of Compass on the Bay, a state-of-the-art free-standing Memory Support Assisted Living community located in Boston. This new community, formerly The BayView Assisted Living, is SLR’s flagship Alzheimer’s care community in which the company has fully implemented its “Compass Memory Support®” 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 a new front exterior. The community now offers a state-of-the-art living environment for seniors with a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.

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, one of the co-founders of the Alzheimer’s Association. 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 state-of-the-art 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.
Robert Larkin, President of SLR, said, “Based on our years of experience in senior housing we knew there was a better way to provide care for individuals with dementia. Compass Memory Support is the result of conducting extensive research, and partnering with leading academics and clinicians, including the Boston University School of Medicine’s Alzheimer’s Disease Center. We have a compelling story to tell and have received rave reviews of our programming from health care professionals in our area.”

Paul Raia, Ph.D., Vice President, Clinical Services of the Alzheimer’s Association, MA/NH Chapter, said, “There is an accumulating body of evidence showing that while there is yet no cure for Alzheimer’s disease, there are effective treatments for the symptoms associated with the disease. There is also evidence that the progression of the symptoms of dementia can be slowed with a combination of life-style interventions and medications. We are at the cusp of a culture change in assisted living that goes beyond the original notion of providing assistance with the tasks of daily living to a new expectation of treatment for the symptoms of this disease."

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