By AMANDA VOSS - Daily News

July 23, 2014

WEST BEND - In the tranquil countryside on Scenic Drive in West Bend sits a 53,000-square-foot $14 million memory care facility called the Cottages at Cedar Run. It may be hard to imagine the concept started on a napkin.

The Cottages at Cedar Run is part of Cedar Community, which is just down the road from the Cottages. Jim Williams, director of operations for Cedar Community, said it’s been their dream to expand the memory care services.

“Certainly the demographics show the number of people with memory care loss continues to go up,” Williams said.

People began moving into the new facility on July 15.

The business has also owned Friendship House on County Road Z for 10-12 years. “It’s always been full,” he said. “There’s always been a waiting list. We thought it made sense to go head and expand.”

Friendship House is being remodeled and integrated into the Cedar Lake Health Rehab Center on the main campus on County Z, said Tracey MacGregor, director of marketing and communications. They had to turn people away at Friendship House.

“Our mission is to grow as needs come about and there’s definitely a need,” MacGregor said.

Friendship House served 19 people and the Cottages at Cedar Run will serve 65 residents in 60 apartments. The residents that were in the Friendship House moved into the Cottages at Cedar Run last week and Amy Meyer, director of assisted living at Cedar Community, said once those residents are settled they’ll start admitting people this week through September.

There are three neighborhoods of the Cottages at Cedar Run. There are 20 residents per neighborhood and two rooms in each neighborhood can accommodate a couple.

There are no long corridors because Meyer said for people with memory loss it can be frustrating to have long corridors, so the building is open-concept.

“We wanted to give residents ownership of their own space,” Meyer said. “You’ll see that each residence has its own facade.”

The exterior of the residences are meant to resemble a home or a cottage with shingles, flower gardens, roof lines, light fixtures that resemble outdoor lights and room numbers that resemble house numbers.

Residents are encouraged to personalize their outdoor space by putting items on the porch space or facade.

In the room there is a bed, a sitting area, a bathroom with a European-style shower and residents’ medications are kept in a locked cabinet in their room.

To keep the neighborhoods quiet, extra sound proofing was added and protective alarms are silent and go directly to a caregiver’s phone, Meyer said.

There is also a spa that features a commercial tub, a fireplace, a beautician’s sink and a private restroom.

In the center of the neighborhood is a sitting area where residents can gather.

Friday residents were greeting Snuffy, the Cottage’s dog. Around the corner is a kitchenette. Meyer said the main food is made in a kitchen downstairs and brought up to the kitchenette, but breakfast is made to order in the kitchenette.

Off the kitchen is a den that serves as a private place for families and a quiet place for clients.

Meyer said the unique design of the Cottages at Cedar Run started on a napkin by their CEO Steve Jaberg and when residents moved in Tuesday, they were excited.

“They felt it was kind of fancy. We had very few residents display any anxiety or fear about the move. Having a close relationship with staff helped,” Meyer said.

There will be five staff members per 20 clients in each neighborhood in addition to a nurse manager and an administrator. MacGregor said they are hiring more staff.

Each employee is given four days of dementia training. This includes virtual training. Meyer said the staff is trained to serve food, clean rooms and provide care to meet all of the residents’ needs.

Meyer said there will be programs that start after breakfast and go until dinner. Williams said the programs  are based on research and trends.

“Not that everybody has to participate, but there’s always an option for them. We like to keep them out of their room engaged, active,” Meyer said.

The Cottages at Cedar Run will also feature an acre and a half courtyard to get residents outside. Meyer said the courtyard is still a work in progress.

“The biggest part of it is programming,” Williams said about the benefits of Cottages at Cedar Run. “We also have a 38-year history of serving people with dementia, so we’ve got a lot of experience doing it.”