Cognitive Stimulation
Ascend Health Adult Retreat provides a safe, engaging, and therapeutic environment for people with memory impairment throughout the stages of the disease. It is the only dementia-specific day center in Chesterfield County and still the only adult day health center in Richmond Virginia and the surrounding areas with programs for people in the later stages of a memory impairment.
Dementia-Specific Care
At Ascend Health Adult Retreat, we prioritize providing person-centered care. From initial participant biographies to updated quarterly care plans, we use each participant’s likes, dislikes, strengths, and interests to plan programming that best fit their current needs. Our Day Center is divided into three levels of care: Green, Blue, and Red. Our day center-wide staff ratio exceeds the 1:6 state requirement.
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Green Group: Early to Mid Stages
The Green Group offers a variety of activities that encourage peer support and socialization in a small group setting. These activities are offered as small group and one-on-one options to provide choices based on individual interests.
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​Mini-Mental State Examination Score: 0-6
Care Needs
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Participants benefit from cueing, reminders, supervision, medication management (if needed), and may need a one person assist.
Programming
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Many program elements (cognitive engagement, creative expression, movement, reflection, and social engagement) are utilized to create structured activities that meet the interests and cognitive abilities of individuals in this stage.
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Small group programs and one-on-one options provide participants with choices based on individual interests.
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Programming in this group is created and designed with a goal to increase the individual’s levels of stimulation and participation.
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Blue Group: Moderate Stages
The Blue Group offers activities that promote a sense of purpose and connectedness to other participants. Favorite activities are modified and adapted as needed to provide enjoyment for each participant and the group.
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Mini-Mental State Examination Score: 7 - 15
Care Needs
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Participants benefit from regular cueing, hands-on ADL care: eating and toileting (continence care), increased psychosocial redirection, behavioral interventions, medication management (if needed), and may need a one person assist.
Programming
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Many program elements (cognitive engagement, creative expression, movement, reflection and social engagement) are utilized to create structured activities that meet the interests and cognitive abilities of the individuals in this stage. Additional sensory programs are added.
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Music is used regularly through music therapy and the Music and Memory Program.
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Adaptive programming is used, with a focus of engagement over a final product or completing the task.
Red Group: Moderate to Late Stages
The Red Group provides individualized attention in a calm and relaxing environment. Programming is personalized to enable stimulation and engagement through sensory based activities.
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Insight Assessment Score: 16 +
Care Needs
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Participants benefit from hands-on to total care with all ADLs including ambulation, motility, transfers, eating, toileting (continence care), medication management (if needed), and may need a one to two person assist. If appropriate, palliative care and hospice elements can be incorporated.
Programming
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This program is smaller and sensory-driven to focus on individual therapeutic goals of care. The Multi-Sensory Environment, Music and Memory, and other sensory-based interventions and therapies are features of this program.
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The group is limited each day to provide individualized attention.
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Individual programming is geared to each participant’s ability and tolerance, to increase stimulation or promote a soothing environment.