Alta Ridge Alzheimer's Community South Jordan - Facility

1928 West 9800 South
South Jordan, UT 84095
Phone: (801) 676-7616

Alta Ridge Alzheimers provides gracious living in a luxurious old European atmosphere. The amenities and conveniences in this state of the art facility enhance our resident’s lifestyles and allow them to enjoy life.  We are acutely aware of the unique physical, emotional and social needs of seniors and how the environment can play an important role in meeting these needs.  Guy Mendenhall, owner and operator of the existing Alta Ridge Facilities, and Pat Brown, gerontologist, interior designer and founder of Lifespan Environments have used their years of experience to design Alta Ridge South Jordan to ensure that it is not only beautiful, but “resident focused” as well.

 

Color

 

Age-related changes to the eyes sometimes make it difficult for seniors to distinguish one color from another so we selected a color palette that provides high contrast and is easily discernible even to those with diminished vision. Patterns and fabrics were given careful consideration as to their scale and clarity in addition to fostering an old European ambiance.

 

Colors have been shown to produce distinctive psychological responses in people, so we utilized this knowledge in our design scheme.  Because we understand that seniors often feel cold, colors were chosen specifically to create a sense of warmth – amber, sage, teal, russet and peach.

 

·        The dining room and community activity room use bolder, more active colors which help stimulate appetite and energy levels.

         

·        More muted neutral tones are used in resident units to help create a quiet, restful environment and enable residents to furnish to their own personal tastes.

 

Lighting

 

One of the most common visual changes that occur among seniors is that the pupils of the eye become rigid and lose their ability to constrict and dilate.  This creates a need for higher light levels and sensitivity to glare.  We have addressed these issues in several ways throughout the facility.

 

·        Lighting fixtures were selected so that the light source is always hidden and glare is eliminated.

         

·        All of our lighting fixtures provide uplighting which casts the light upward onto the ceiling and upper walls, maximizing light reflectance without creating a source of glare.

         

·        Upper walls and ceilings are all light in tone in order to maximize light reflectance.

         

·        High gloss surfaces were avoided in flooring and counter materials to minimize glare as well as risk of falls.

 

Sound

 

Hearing can be a challenge for seniors.  Hearing aids can have difficulty filtering our background noise.  This makes it difficult for seniors to communicate.  We have addressed these issues in several ways:

 

·        Walls between residences are soundproofed so that televisions and music can be turned up load enough to hear without bothering neighboring residents.

         

·        In order to encourage conversation and socialization among our residents, dining tables seat only four people, which put diners at a close enough proximity to be able to make eye contact and communicate easily with each other.

         

·        Even the fountain in the courtyard was selected because of its pleasing sound

 

Openness

  

Alta Ridge was designed to provide a sense of openness to the outside world along with safe homelike security.   Elderly memory care residents may feel isolated and abandoned in facilities that are too large or too small.  Alta Ridge is large enough to provide many options to make dear friends but small enough that residents do not feel isolated.

 

·        Doors and windows open to the inner shaded courtyard with its soothing fountain and looped path that leads back to the building.

         

·        Residents may easily navigate without long and winding corridors.  We have provided seating, so residents may rest along the way if they want.  The corridors all lead back to the living activity room.

         

·        The Dutch doors to the residents rooms provide an open feeling and still deter uninvited wanderers.  The top may be closed to provide privacy when desired.

         

·        Bathroom doors are visable from the resident's bed to be easily found and used.

         

Safety

 

Alta Ridge Alzhiemers was designed to afford maximum safety and security.  We understand that safety and security are of prime importance in caring for Alzheimers and memory care residents.

     

·        Bathroom support bars, shower seats with hand-held shower heads, and even our plumbing fixtures were selected to enhance safety and autonomy.

         

·        Each apartment has an individual room thermostat so a resident need never feel too warm or too cold.  Heating and air conditioning are provided from the ceiling so there is no chance of injury from lying against the heat source.

       

·        Corridors provide interesting yet sheltered walking routes with intermittent seating throughout to provide resting points.

         

·        A resident laundry is provided on site so that residents or their families may do their own laundry if they wish.

 

Furnishings

 

Furniture was selected not only to create a beautiful, comfortable, homelike environment, but also to support the physical changes that accompany the aging process.

 

·        Seating throughout the facility has sturdy arms and firm, high seats which assist older people in rising from a seated position. 

         

·        Dining chairs are light enough to move easily, but do not have casters, which can be extremely dangerous to elders.

         

·        Dining tables are extremely sturdy, which allows residents to lean on the table edge to assist in rising without fear of the table tipping.

 

Emotional and Social Needs

 

Most important Alta Ridge Assisted Living provides a sense of welcome and belonging, which is fundamental to quality of life.  We have designed in many amenities that help Alta Ridge become a real home to our residents. 

 

·        The Hair Salon provides the convenience of professional stylists and barbers without even having to leave the building.

         

·        Residents are encouraged to participate in our active recreational program which includes many options to satisfy a wide range of interests.

        

·        Studies have shown that Alzheimers residents eat better if they can see fish swimming inan aquarium.  We provided an aquarium to stimulate our residents in this manner.

 

Peace of Mind Security

While maintaining our residents’ privacy we have designed Alta Ridge to be a safe and secure place to live.

 

·        Our facility is secured and monitored to prevent confused residents from departing without assistance.

         

·        Resident authorized visitors may access the facility at any time.

         

·        Unwanted individuals are denied access to the facility.

         

·        Entrances, hallways and common areas are secured and monitored by close circuit television cameras so that residents are safe and sound.

 

Family Friendly

 

While our residents often become like family to us we have designed Alta Ridge to be a home where our residents may enjoy their children, posterity and friends.  Alta Ridge is Family Friendly.

 

·        Our Private Dining Room enables our residents to enjoy family meals and private celebrations.       

 

·        We encourage families to come to our monthly family activities which have included holiday parties, Christmas, Easter, Fourth of July, Luaus and other great activities.

 

As you can see, Alta Ridge Alzheimers is so much more than just a beautiful home.  Our residents are our central focus and we’ve designed this facility with them in mind.