Main Street
Main Street
Our memory care community is designed to provide a safe and supportive environment for individuals with cognitive impairments, particularly those living with Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia. The incorporation of various life skill stations within these communities plays a crucial role in the holistic approach to promoting residents’ cognitive function and overall quality of life by promoting a sense of purpose and independence.
Main Street, which is designed to resemble a small town or city center fosters a sense of community and offers opportunities for meaningful engagement. The shops on Main Street are themed to bring to mind businesses from the resident’s past such as the theater and soda shoppe to trigger memories and provide a sense of home. Each shop is set up to be interactive and functional allowing residents the opportunity to engage in tasks and programs that promote independence and purpose.
The Shops on Main Street
Our art programs at Bristol Park at Amarillo encourage residents to express themselves through various mediums, such as painting, drawing, or crafting. This form of self-expression can help them communicate feelings and emotions they may struggle to express verbally. Art exercises stimulate cognitive functions like memory, attention, and problem-solving, helping maintain mental abilities for longer. Engaging in art is also relaxing and reduces feelings of anxiety or agitation, which are common in individuals with dementia.
For many seniors, the garage is associated with routine tasks like tinkering with tools or fixing things, which can evoke a sense of familiarity and comfort. Our garage is set up to resemble a workshop, triggering memories from the past and encouraging reminiscence therapy, which improves mood and cognition. This offers our residents, in a supervised environment, the opportunity to engage in light carpentry or other activities, fostering a sense of independence and accomplishment.
Gardening has several therapeutic effects on individuals with dementia, reducing stress, anxiety, and depression. The tactile experience of gardening, touching soil, planting seeds, and tending to plants, provides valuable sensory stimulation. Gardening is also known for offering a sense of purpose and responsibility, as residents participate in nurturing and caring for plants daily.
The traditional theater set-up here at Bristol Park Assisted Living & Memory Care provides a space for residents to come together and enjoy familiar music or films from the residents’ era, that evoke powerful emotions, memories, and group discussions. Engaging in theater-related programs stimulates cognitive abilities, such as attention, imagination, and creativity.
Residents are allowed to move freely indoors and outdoors within the safety of their own community. Spending time in our courtyard with elements of nature, like bird feeders and plants in raised beds, provides residents a connection to the outdoors, offering a calming effect on individuals with dementia, reducing agitation, and improving overall mood.
The soda shoppe is designed with a vintage ambiance that evokes feelings of nostalgia for residents, taking them back to their youthful days and sparking reminiscing conversations with caregivers and families. Most times the soda shoppe serves as a social hub where residents gather to enjoy ice cream, milkshakes, and other treats provided by our culinary teams.
One of the Pathways principles is dignity, having an on-site salon allows residents to maintain their grooming routines and personal care, promoting a sense of dignity and well-being. The salon provides a relaxing and enjoyable sensory experience through services like haircuts, hairstyling, and hand massages, enhancing residents’ overall mood. Visiting the salon is often a social event for residents, allowing them to engage in conversations with salon staff and fellow residents, fostering a sense of community.