Alzheimer's and Adult Care Community: Abe's Garden at Park Manor's Notes
The Abe's Garden's proposed zoning change for its
designated property was speedily approved by
Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County Council.
designated property was speedily approved by
Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County Council.
Alzheimer’s (AHLZ-high-merz)
What causes Alzheimer's disease?
No one single factor has been identified as a cause for Alzheimer's disease. It is likely that a combination of factors, including age, genetic inheritance, environmental factors, diet and overall general health, are responsible.
What are the symptoms?
People with Alzheimer’s experience difficulties communicating, learning, thinking and reasoning — problems severe enough to have an impact on an individual's quality of life. In some people, the disease may develop silently for many years before symptoms appear.
What is the role of plaques and tangles?
Though most people develop some plaques and tangles as they age, those with Alzheimer’s tend to develop far more. The plaques and tangles tend to form in a predictable pattern, beginning in areas important in learning and memory and then spreading to other regions. They somehow block communication among nerve cells and disrupt activities that cells need to survive.
How are arly stage and younger onset different?
Individuals in the early-stage typically need minimal assistance with simple daily routines. At the time of a diagnosis, an individual is not necessarily in the early stage of the disease; he or she may have progressed beyond the early stage.
The term younger-onset refers to Alzheimer's that occurs in a person under age 65. People who have younger-onset dementia may be in any stage of dementia – early, middle or late. Experts estimate that some 500,000 people in their 30s, 40s and 50s have Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia.
A special thanks to the Alzheimer’s Association for providing general information about Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. This information does not take the place of professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
What causes Alzheimer's disease?
No one single factor has been identified as a cause for Alzheimer's disease. It is likely that a combination of factors, including age, genetic inheritance, environmental factors, diet and overall general health, are responsible.
What are the symptoms?
People with Alzheimer’s experience difficulties communicating, learning, thinking and reasoning — problems severe enough to have an impact on an individual's quality of life. In some people, the disease may develop silently for many years before symptoms appear.
What is the role of plaques and tangles?
Though most people develop some plaques and tangles as they age, those with Alzheimer’s tend to develop far more. The plaques and tangles tend to form in a predictable pattern, beginning in areas important in learning and memory and then spreading to other regions. They somehow block communication among nerve cells and disrupt activities that cells need to survive.
How are arly stage and younger onset different?
Individuals in the early-stage typically need minimal assistance with simple daily routines. At the time of a diagnosis, an individual is not necessarily in the early stage of the disease; he or she may have progressed beyond the early stage.
The term younger-onset refers to Alzheimer's that occurs in a person under age 65. People who have younger-onset dementia may be in any stage of dementia – early, middle or late. Experts estimate that some 500,000 people in their 30s, 40s and 50s have Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia.
A special thanks to the Alzheimer’s Association for providing general information about Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. This information does not take the place of professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
Alzheimer’s disease and dementia are devastating conditions that create huge emotional, financial, and physical challenges for the individual and their family.
* There are more than 100,000 individuals with Alzheimer’s in Tennessee.
* Approximately 5.2 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease.
* One in six women of the baby boomer generation, and one in 10 men of this generation, will develop Alzheimer’s in their lifetime.
* By 2050, 11-16 million people are projected to have the disease.
* There is currently no cure and no remission.
People with Alzheimer’s experience difficulties communicating, learning, thinking and reasoning. Today it is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States. Alzheimer’s is on the increase compared to other major leading causes of death.
Alzheimer’s disease is a brain disorder named for German physician Alois Alzheimer, who first described it in 1906. Scientists have learned a great deal about Alzheimer’s disease in the century since Dr. Alzheimer first drew attention to it.
A progressive and fatal brain disease
As many as 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer's destroys brain cells, causing problems with memory, thinking and behavior severe enough to affect quality of lifestyle. Alzheimer’s gets worse over time, and it is fatal.
The most common form of dementia
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia among older people. Alzheimer's disease involves a loss of nerve cells in the areas of the brain vital to memory and other mental functions.
There is currently no cure
But treatments for symptoms, combined with the right services and support, can make life better for the millions of Americans living with Alzheimer’s. Problems with memory, thinking and concentration may begin to appear in a doctor’s interview or medical tests.
Transforming the Full Continuum of Care
Abe’s Garden seeks to transform the full continuum of care for those affected by Alzheimer's and other dementias throughout the United States, by providing an unprecedented level of care and comprehensive array of services for individuals currently suffering from these diseases in Middle Tennessee. Equally important, it will be a site of research and teaching, setting a new standard for future programs and facilities seeking to care for our nation’s rapidly expanding senior population.
Abe’s Garden will be the first in Tennessee to provide a complete continuum of treatment and care throughout all stages of aging with Alzheimer’s disease and DRD from cognitive health through hospice.
Providing the full continuum of care is critical for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, who suffer from increased confusion and decline in cognitive health when subjected to changes in their daily surroundings. Specifically, Abe’s Garden will provide 161 independent living apartments (68 legacy units and 93 new units), respite care for 24 cognitively impaired individuals, residential memory care for 48 individuals, assisted living for 16 patients, and residential skilled nursing and hospice care for 48 patients. Abe’s Garden will also develop and offer home healthcare services to complement the residential care to be provided within the facility.
Abe’s Garden is in the process of applying for the requisite licenses, zoning approval and Certificate of Need approval from the applicable governing authorities. Groundbreaking is planned for the second quarter of 2009 with completion projected in the first quarter of 2011. However, due to the use of renovated existing space, we anticipate the ability to begin providing assisted living and skilled nursing care for current residents of Park Manor by mid-year 2010.
