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Monte Vista Grove Homes Begins Constructing New Memory Care Residence
Business Feb 10, 2017
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Vice Mayor Masuda (left), Herbert (center) and Mayor Tornek (right).
-Courtesy photo of Christian Romo
Center Designed for Alzheimer’s and Dementia Patients Will be Open to the Public
Story and Photos
By Christian Romo
Monte Vista Grove Homes, a Pasadena retirement community for members of the Presbyterian Church, broke ground on two new healthcare centers on their campus Tuesday morning. The first is an update of their Wellness Center, a space that provides residents with recreational activities and personalized occupational therapies. The second is a Memory Care Residence: housing designed for those living with Alzheimer’s, dementia, and other advanced stages of memory loss.
The residence will have ten rooms dedicated for independent living, including two rooms for couples, and will offer communal activities such as cooking and gardening that emphasize sense memories. Residents will be allowed to move freely in and out of the center, and will be cared for by medical professionals trained in memory care. And while MVGH primarily serves retired members of the Presbyterian Church, the Memory Care Residence will be open to the public, regardless of religious affiliation.
In attendance at the groundbreaking ceremony were residents of MVGH, members of CDG Builders, Pasadena Mayor Terry Tornek, and Vice Mayor Gene Masuda. “There’s an emerging and tremendous demand for services that deal with Alzheimer’s and other kinds of illnesses that are a function of aging,” said Mayor Tornek, “so every resource that is added to the pool to meet that need is a huge gain for the community.”
Rain moved the ceremony indoors, in what executive director Deborah Herbert called “Groundbreaking Plan B.” The Reverend Doctors and campaign co-chairs Gary Demarest and Tom Erickson blessed the ground and led closing prayers, while Mayor Tornek and Vice Mayor Masuda each spoke to the residents, praising the planning and construction of the new centers. A fundraising campaign aimed to raise $4.5 million of the $6.5 million dollars needed for construction, and the goal was reached on Jan. 17, two weeks after the city approved the building plans. MVGH plans to complete the centers by December 2017.
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