Memory Care - Diamond Willow Assisted Living

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Diamond Willow Advanced Assisted Living
A Lodge feel for those with higher care needs
Diamond Willow Assisted Living encourages the
decorations of home in each apartment site.
With fewer people under one roof, our assisted
living feels like home. We honor personal
routines for daily schedules and provide
industry-leading staffing ratios. 
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Welcome to Full Circle Senior Living      
Proudly providing care in 10 Diamond Willow
communities Keystone Bluffs, Duluth.
Our model was built for my grandma Hazel in 2004.
Suddenly she was bed bound with shingles, and end
state heart failure and required 1-2 staff for
all her direct care needs. Suddenly, she needed
11 cares at times to feed her, and to assure she
was safe as she no longer had self-preservation
skills. As a family, we provided the resources
and/or hired outside caregivers to come to her
apartment at Keystone Bluffs Assisted Living
I started as a Licensed Nursing Home
Administrator in 1991, and ultimately was blessed
with assisting in designing something for my
grandma and all those seniors who followed since
2004. As a past nursing assistant who often cared
for 7-15 people on a shift in my group, I can see
the value of a smaller setting with fewer seniors
for each aide to care for. This generation has
given so much to all of us, and now we are able
to make their last days as great as we can.
Natalie Zeleznikar, CEO
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BUILDING LAYOUTS at Diamond Willow
Our building layout features a 1,000 square foot
great room in the center of the home. We have
secured wander guard bracelets for seniors with
memory loss or Alzheimers disease to wear if
desired for a monthly add on fee.
Our buildings have a complete sprinkler system
throughout the building. We also have central air
through the great room and corridor. Residents,
due to age and health condition, are generally
cold so we did not put direct venting in the
resident rooms for this reason. Even in the
summer months, I will see residents wrapped in
blankets and sweaters. Our goal is to keep the
humidity down in the homes, and make it as
comfortable as possible for seniors
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WHEN HIGHER CARE IS NEEDED
There are times when a senior may become a
physical threat to themselves or others without
notice. If we notice patterns we will update
family members and physicians ahead of time.
However, there are isolated cases where those
with diseases of the mind, may become violent or
put others at risk.
At Diamond Willow, we have fewer residents for
our aides to care for in each setup. As a prior
nursing assistant, I recognize the value of
having 5-7 people to care for in my setup versus
10-15 which exists in many setups. Our staffing
ratios with aides, allows more 11 time and
personalized cares.
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ACTIVITIES at Diamond Willow Assisted Living
At Diamond Willow Assisted Living we care for
those who would generally otherwise be in a
nursing home. Most of our seniors are frail and
therefore our activities are adjusted for their
endurance and interest level. Sometimes seniors
feel like participating in activities of small
groups, large groups or 11s. Every day is
different.
We have started an activity table top time after
meals, where aides can put items on a large
dining room table for the ambulatory residents to
be distracted with and entertained. There are
various activity items for this activity. In
addition, we enjoy outdoor walks, TV shows,
movies and popcorn. We reminisce of the past
often and try to pick a theme to reminisce about
daily.
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PAYOR SOURCES
The monthly care package is generally less than a
traditional nursing home or 24 hour in home care.
Our care model will cost more than traditional
assisted living by design. We are designed with a
higher staffing ratio and fewer seniors under a
roof in order to assure quality outcomes for
higher care, memory, medical or physical care
needs.
For those on medical assistance, Elderly waivers,
they have a shared companion room with a rate set
by the State for room and board (called GRH-
Group Residential Housing). Then each month our
support service office bills the State for the
care needs of your loved one based on the
caseworker assessment. It is critical if your
loved one is nearing only 5,000 in assets to
contact social services in your county for an
assessment to enroll in medical assistance.
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MEMORY CARE/ALZHEIMERS at Diamond Willow
At Diamond Willow Advanced Care we blend all
residents together. Therefore a certain percent
will be alert and oriented with physical/medical
needs. There will be a population with great
physical abilities and significant cognitive
decline also. It has worked well, as our settings
are small, and those with memory loss seem to
stay higher functioning longer when they are
around those who can visit with them etc.
Over the years I have cared for many with memory
loss, dementia and Alzheimers. What I have
learned in the approach has to be unique, no one
person responds the same way. Therefore, we must
be flexible and re-approach, willing to change up
the plan for the day. (For example, someone may
be scheduled to shower, but they refuse as they
are tired or didnt want to, so we reschedule.)
Sometimes a resident is agitated and will only
respond to certain caregivers.
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Diamond Willow Advanced Assisted Living
Full Circle Senior Living Corporate
OfficeAssisted Living With Memory,Medical and
Physical Care1411 London Road Duluth, Minnesota
558051-877-247-1205