Alzheimer's patients visit former work or hobby locations as therapy

Goal of The Lantern's new program is to prolong life experience memories

Tony Kennedy enjoys an ice cream cone at Wally's with Alisha Landes, new executive director of The Lantern at Morning Pointe Alzheimer's Center of Excellence. Kennedy owned Wally's restaurants on McCallie Avenue and Ringgold Road and worked in the restaurant business more than four decades before retiring and moving into The Lantern.
Tony Kennedy enjoys an ice cream cone at Wally's with Alisha Landes, new executive director of The Lantern at Morning Pointe Alzheimer's Center of Excellence. Kennedy owned Wally's restaurants on McCallie Avenue and Ringgold Road and worked in the restaurant business more than four decades before retiring and moving into The Lantern.
photo Tony Kennedy was the first resident of The Lantern to participate in a new memory-care program, "This Is My Life." Once a month a resident is honored with a trip to their former workplace or an event that focuses on a favorite hobby. Kennedy bought Wally's Restaurant on McCallie Avenue in 1971 from Wallace "Wally" Alexander. He owned it and the East Ridge Wally's, which he opened in 1989, until his retirement last year.

For more than 40 years, Tony Kennedy was the face of Wally's Restaurant on McCallie Avenue. He purchased the restaurant in 1971 when fast food was the trend, yet he built it into a hometown landmark where people from all walks of life sat down for a meat-and-three meal.

Building on that success, Kennedy opened a second Wally's in East Ridge in 1989.

"This is a man whose whole world revolved around Wally's," says Gary Meadows, who succeeded Kennedy as owner of the McCallie Avenue location. "Every day - even on holidays when we were closed - he would be at my house at 6 a.m., ready to go to Wally's.

"Wally's is what it is today because of him and only him."

But the health problems associated with aging caught up with Kennedy last year, resulting in his retirement and a move to The Lantern at Morning Pointe Alzheimer's Center of Excellence on Shallowford Road. Alisha Landes, new director of The Lantern, says residents range from mild to severe in the level of their Alzheimer's symptoms, which can cause loss of memory, loss of reasoning and fading motor skills.

"When Tony came here, all he talked about was Wally's and wanting to go back to work - so he did for a day," says Landes.

Kennedy was the first Lantern resident to participate in "This Is My Life," a new program the facility launched in January. Each month, an event or experience will be planned for a resident to recreate past employment, hobby, artistic/music skill or other strong life memory. The goal is to prolong memories of life experiences.

"We talk to families to find out our residents' life stories, their likes, their hobbies and interests," Landes says. "As we gather these stories, we get ideas to honor them, even with our residents who might have more severe dementia. Our goal is to do one memory event each month until all residents have been honored."

Kennedy's surprise was a trip for lunch at the East Ridge Wally's, joined by several other Lantern residents. Their destination remained a secret to Kennedy until their arrival.

"Once we got into the building and sat down, he saw familiar faces of people who worked there, and Glen and Gary Meadows, who run the restaurants now. You could see in his face it all snapped right back," says Landes.

As she accompanied Kennedy to the salad bar, customers recognized the former owner and began greeting him, she says. Ever the proprietor, Kennedy shook their hands, asked how their food was and "if they were being treated right," says Landes.

Meadows says that hospitality is deeply ingrained in Kennedy after decades in the business, so he's unsure exactly how much Kennedy actually remembered and how much was pure habit. But he agrees that Kennedy seemed to enjoy his outing.

"I think he knows he was in the restaurant business, but I don't think he could give you the name (of his former business)," Meadows says. "I know Tony extremely well; I worked with the man every day for 30-plus years. He ate dinner with my family every night.

At the East Ridge Wally's, "there were employees who came up and talked with him and he spoke to them," Meadows says. "But if you had set him down, looked at him and asked if he knew where he was, I don't think he could have given you a name."

That's a bittersweet admission from the man who, along with his brother, Glen, were mentored by Kennedy for three decades in preparation to run his restaurants after his retirement.

Kennedy and Meadow's parents met at church and became lifelong friends; Gary and Glen began working for Kennedy at Wally's when they were 16. He taught them the business from the ground up.

"It's the only job we've ever had. In 1989, when the East Ridge location was purchased, my brother went to run that restaurant," Gary says, explaining that the separate businesses operate under the same name. "Tony did a restructuring and brought us in as partners. We had a stake in the operation."

As Kennedy aged, he gave more and more operational control to the brothers until his retirement last year.

"It was a slow transfer and that was his vision. He looked at us as sons and we looked at him as a second father. Everything I have is because of him," credits Meadows. "I am in the restaurant business and it is successful because of Tony Kennedy."

Landes already has a second life tribute planned for a Lantern resident. It will honor local artist Dorothy Gannon, who owned Gannon Art Center and was one of the 12 charter members of In-Town Gallery.

"Her son is bringing us between 15 to 20 of her art pieces, and on Feb. 11 we will show an exhibit of her work," says Landes, adding area schools with art programs have been invited to come see the well-known artist's work.

Contact Susan Pierce at spierce@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6284.

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