July 18, 2024 – St. Louis, Missouri – Lutheran Senior Services (LSS) is bringing the future of memory support to its Meramec Bluffs community in St. Louis. The new Assisted Living Memory Support community, Towne Plaza at the Bluffs, will be the first of its kind in the region.
“I have never seen a senior living building where so much space is dedicated to resident experience. We are not just housing people. We want them to have a bigger life by providing diversity of experience and environment,” said Ron Schaefer, LSS Chief Operating Officer.
Featuring visual elements such as bright-colored doors for easy navigation and soothing sounds like those made in the Harmony Garden, the community provides a safe and immersive, sensory experience for residents.
Inspired by Hogeweyk, a famous memory support community in The Netherlands, LSS has meticulously designed Towne Plaza at the Bluffs to create the experience of living in one’s own secure neighborhood. Alongside the 29 new apartments in a variety of floor plans, the community will focus on creating an inclusive care environment that caters to residents’ mental, physical, and emotional health.
Towne Plaza at the Bluffs offers multiple “destinations” to give residents an opportunity to explore their community, be more active, and connect with others. These unique spaces encourage sensory engagement to help invigorate the mind without overstimulation. For example, the bright and colorful floral shop will offer hands-on activities with varying textures and smells to engage the senses. Other spaces include a general store, art studio, pet shop, and much more. Each area will be staffed by LSS team members, including specialized therapists, and volunteers who are trained to make the experience fulfilling for residents.
“The dining rooms look like small town cafes. You can grab an ice cream sandwich from the General Store anytime you want a snack. It feels like you’re just or strolling through town and looking at the shops along the way. It draws on remembrances of what we’ve experienced before in life, allowing residents to live in a way that is engaging, fulfilling, familiar, and rewarding,” said Schaefer.
The state-of-the art community also features cutting edge technologies that encourage collaboration and help create moments of joy. This includes Tovertafel – an interactive, visually stimulating game that has been proven effective for cognitive and physical stimulation as well as social interaction – and Gateway to the World, which immerses residents in faraway scenes across the globe through virtual reality.
“Towne Plaza at the Bluffs will be, as far as we can tell, the first of its kind to open in the U.S.,” said Adam Marles, President and CEO of LSS. “We believe that individuals living with dementia deserve to live a life filled with meaning and purpose, and embracing this concept will support the individual needs, lifestyles, and preferences of our residents while focusing on their holistic wellbeing. Bringing this remarkable physical space together with our model of support will be truly magical for the people who live here.”
As part of the commitment to transforming memory support, LSS has developed foundational standards and adopted an empowering approach based on the latest dementia care recommendations from the National Alzheimer’s Association. This approach, which addresses everything from physical environments to redefining engagement and inclusivity, embraces the uniqueness of each individual and provides personalized programming and care to stimulate their minds and help them truly thrive.
All LSS team members will be trained in this new approach to help them recognize and celebrate each person living with dementia and provide resources and support for families and care partners.
In addition to Towne Plaza at the Bluffs, LSS is planning a similar project at its Mason Pointe community, which is expected to be completed in 2025.
Lutheran Senior Services (LSS) is a mission-driven, nonprofit network that specializes in housing, care, and supportive services for older adults 62+. With 22 locations in Missouri, Illinois, and Pennsylvania, LSS serves more than 13,000 older adults each year through options that include Senior Living Communities offering all levels of living, Affordable Housing for those with limited incomes, and Home & Community Based Services. LSS builds upon more than 160 years of excellence in living out its Christian mission of Older Adults Living Life to the Fullest.