Ocala’s newest and most innovative memory care community blends the human touch with high-tech, therapeutic innovation.
When your loved one living with dementia needs long-term care, bring them home to Paddock Ridge, where memory care is a priority. Recently opened in summer 2019, this bright, colorful, spacious facility was thoughtfully designed and built with the amenities residents want and the safety features they need. Its four distinct neighborhoods, each with 18 private apartments nestled within its common areas, create a nurturing, familial setting.
One of Paddock Ridge’s four neighborhoods was created especially for the needs of people living with dementia and is staffed with caregivers who receive ongoing training in memory care. Although the neighborhood and courtyard are secure, they have the same expansive feeling as the rest of the community. Residents can choose to stroll the outdoor areas, relax on the covered porch, and take part in group activities and games in their own bright, colorful common area.
Executive Director Shane Potter holds certification as a dementia trainer through the Department of Elder Affairs and trains staff to care for residents using the Positive Approach to Care model, a person-centered approach developed by dementia care leader Teepa Snow.
“In everything we do, we use the positive approach to care in working with our residents,” Potter says. He leads the care team in providing outstanding service with the highest levels of dignity and respect, treating every resident like family. He explains that having just 18 residents per neighborhood provides the best environment for both residents and staff.
“The caregivers are assigned to the same neighborhood every day, so they develop relationships,” he explains, adding that these familial relationships lead to greater trust, which is paramount to memory care.
Potter explains that caregivers also leverage the most advanced techniques for memory care. Residents are invited to visit the sensory room, created as a safe place where people living with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia can safely explore and stimulate their senses.
This multisensory environment includes four stations for sensory stimulus—fiber-optic strands and liquid-filled bubble tubes that glow in a rainbow of colors to elicit feelings of comfort, a tactile marble board, soothing music and vibro-acoustic furniture—all part of the therapeutic experience. The room is designed to enhance feelings of comfort and well-being, relieve stress and pain, and maximize a person’s potential to focus, which can help improve communication and memory.
“Most residents think it’s pretty peaceful,” Potter says. The sensory room at Paddock Ridge is the only one of its kind in Marion County. “It’s very soothing and relaxing. It helps calm them.”
For people living with dementia, life often feels out of their control. In contrast, the sensory room is one place where memory care residents can control their environment. For instance, an easy-to-hold cube allows them to choose the light color they like. In this multisensory environment, even residents who have lost some of their capacity for language can explore and enjoy visual, aural and tactile stimuli. One of the most therapeutic elements for many is the slow, rhythmic music.
“The rhythm, the beats, the instrumentals—that’s what appeals to them,” Potter notes. “Even when they lose speech they retain rhythm. Deeper vibrations resonate in the chairs so the person can feel it at the same time.” Each experience is individualized and can sometimes help the caregiver gain the resident’s attention, the first step in their visual, verbal, touch method. “We establish a visual [connection], then a verbal one before we touch a resident, in order to build trust,” Potter explains. “The biggest thing in this environment is trust.”
Paddock Ridge is blending the human touch with therapeutic innovation to make a remarkable difference for memory care residents and their families.
When it’s time for your loved one to transition to memory care, call to schedule a private consultation and tour. Skilled and compassionate caregivers are ready to welcome your loved one home to Paddock Ridge.
Paddock Ridge › 4001 SW 33rd Court, Ocala FL 34474 › (352) 512-9191 › www.paddockridge.com
