Every day, 10,000 people in the United States turn 65 years old, and by 2050, older adults will represent more than 20% of the population, according to the AARP.
As people live longer and reach retirement age in growing numbers, they face a higher need for assisted living care. Hoping to help handle that rising tide, Morning Pointe Senior Living will hold a grand opening Thursday for a new center geared toward patients with memory loss.
“As Morning Pointe enters its 30th year of service to the mid-South, we continue to recognize the importance and need based on both demographics and healthcare data that people are living longer,” cofounder Greg Vital, who also serves in the Tennessee House of Representatives, said by phone.
(READ MORE: Morning Pointe Senior Living facilities helping in Samaritan Center food drive)
Thousands of people a day turn 80 years old, Vital said, and many of them need assisted or independent living services.
Center for patients with memory loss opens in Walker County
“If you live above 90, there’s a high probability that you’re going to need Alzheimer’s or memory care services,” he said.
Located at 2937 Happy Valley Road in Walker County, the Lantern at Morning Pointe Alzheimer’s Center of Excellence officially opened April 1, and it has the capacity for 60 beds. Those are spread across two sections: The Lamplight, which is available for residents with early stages of memory loss, and the Lantern, which is reserved for patients with more advanced cases.
Melissa Bartlett, the executive director of the new center, said patients in the Lamplight remain somewhat independent, but they benefit from structure and guidance.
Once they hit a more advanced stage of memory loss, their needs change, requiring a smaller, more intimate setting that’s designed for hands-on support. The Lamplight has 38 beds, and the Lantern has 22.
Some of the center’s residents are as young as their 60s, Bartlett said.
“With dementia, it really doesn’t care how old you are,” Bartlett said by phone. “We just try to keep our residents to stay as independent and engaged as possible for as long as possible.”
Staff tailor day-to-day activities at the center to the patients’ abilities and desires. The schedule can be fluid. They do a lot of bingo and art therapy, which can include tracing, coloring, painting or building birdhouses. Residents love music, and they also play balloon volleyball with pool noodles, officials said.
(READ MORE: Ooltewah-based Morning Pointe to open memory care facility as 42nd location)
Based in Ooltewah, Morning Pointe now has 2,200 employees in four states, Vital said. He started the company almost three decades ago with his business partner, Franklin Farrow. The new center in Walker County will be the second building at the company’s Happy Valley campus. The other is devoted to assisted living.
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Contact business reporter David Floyd at dfloyd@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6249.