Whittier

We have a specialized area, of Assisted Living, for residents with memory-impairment.  This area includes 17 rooms, three of which were just recently constructed.  This newly created space also includes a large fish tank, gathering area and ‘front porch’, which successfully unites the established and new areas as one. 

The Whittier Assisted Living area is designed and is specifically oriented to serve our Kendal residents that have a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease or related dementia.  This unit is suited for the care of those residents with mild to moderate cognitive impairment requiring 24-hour supervision.

Because many individuals with Alzheimer's disease suffer a loss of depth perception, Kendal is particularly attentive to the use of color and contrast, to distinguish walls from furniture, for example.  The wing includes an indoor-outdoor walking garden, as an alternative to Kendal's existing outdoor circular walking garden.  The large common area, of Whittier, includes space for the residents to participate in the therapeutic milieu of the unit. Residents enjoy socializing, music, games, and other activities.  Individual choice is always respected and the daily life of our residents is based on their past and current interests.  It is the goal of the Whittier unit to maintain our residents’ independence, offer them the support that is needed with their disease diagnosis, and maintain their connection to the Kendal at Hanover community.

In order to determine whether someone is an appropriate candidate for Whittier, our Social Services Department would perform an initial assessment.  Subsequently, our inter-disciplinary team would then review the assessment and determine whether or not this candidate would benefit from the services of Whittier.