FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q. What is your philosophy of care?

  A. At The Ganzhorn Suites, we believe every person with dementia deserves and benefits from individualized care. We adapt each resident’s care plan to their personal disease experience and their unique values, abilities/strengths, preferences, life experiences, relationships and needs. We do this through listening to and getting to know our residents and their families; customizing enrichment activities; and by promoting the greatest level of independence possible at each stage of the disease.

• Q. What is a household model of care?

  A. Our centers are divided into four distinct “households,” each serving a different stage of dementia. Each household features 16 private suites, each with a full private bath. The suites are grouped around a shared kitchen, dining room and living room and provide access to a cozy den and lovely outdoor courtyard.

  Our household model offers many care benefits and promotes an atmosphere of genuine home:

  • The staff within each household is consistent, so they can get to know and build relationships with residents and families.
  • The smaller household setting allows for more flexibility, spontaneity and autonomy. We encourage residents to choose when they get up, when they bathe, when they go to bed and what and when they will eat.
  • The household kitchen creates a natural hub, an active, lively place that our residents enjoy spending time in, just like in most homes.
  • Organizing households by disease stage is beneficial for both residents and care teams. In the early stages of Alzheimer’s/dementia, individuals retain the ability to participate in daily living activities, enjoy social interaction and engage in meaningful conversations. Being with other residents at a similar stage helps them maintain these abilities, as do our personalized enrichment and wellness programs. Those living with moderate to severe memory impairment typically need more extensive assistance with bathing, dressing and grooming. In our households for residents at these stages, activities and routines are adapted to these needs, while maintaining regular opportunities for individualized enrichment.
  • Data shows that, compared to traditional assisted living facilities, the household model is more effective at reducing the exposure and spread of infections like Covid-19, seasonal flu and the common cold.
• Q. What room types do you offer?

  A. We offer four different types of private suites: the Standard Suite, Suite Plus, Deluxe Suite and Luxury Suite. Click here to view the floorplan and square footage of each suite type. For couples and those who desire a roommate, we offer the option to share a suite.

• Q. What kind of activities do you offer?

  A. At Ganzhorn, you won’t find a centralized, rigid schedule of activities that all residents are expected to attend (whether they are interested or not). Enrichment programming is going on throughout our community around the clock, every day of the week. While we do offer many household activities like Happy Hours or music therapy, individualized enrichment is our primary focus. Our Enrichment Coordinator develops a program for each resident based on their abilities and activities that are purposeful and meaningful to them. For example, an early-stage resident whose passion is karate works out on the mats in our wellness room and enjoys teaching all of us stances, blocks and kicks. A resident who was an architect enjoys building models out of small PVC pipes. Click here to learn more about our services and amenities.

• Q. Can my loved one enjoy the outdoors?

  A. Our beautifully landscaped and generously sized courtyards offer safe spaces for residents to enjoy the outdoors. Residents can go in and out of the courtyard on their own but are tracked at all times by our GPS resident safety system. Enrichment activities also take place in our courtyards. For example, several of our residents are Certified Master Gardeners and our Enrichment Coordinator works with them to plant raised flower gardens. Families and loved ones are also welcome to take residents offsite for outdoor excursions.

• Q. Can my loved one eat whenever they want?

  A. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are prepared by our chef in our main kitchen. The food is brought out to each household kitchen and served family-style, just like it would be at home. There are planned menus for each meal, but our chef also offers an always-available menu for more options. In addition, each household kitchen is open 24/7 to accommodate special resident meal and snack requests. Residents have full access to the household pantry and staff are happy to help them prepare a sandwich or snack. Families can also bring in special food items for their loved that can be labeled and stored in the household fridge or pantry. Supervised cooking and baking in the household kitchen are popular enrichment activities for residents who enjoy cooking. You’ll find numerous safety features in our household kitchens, including induction cooktops (cool to the touch) that require a code to operate. Click here to learn more about our dining services.

• Q. What are your staffing ratios?

  A. Our staffing ratio is 1:6 during the day, nearly double what you would find in typical memory care centers. That’s one staff caregiver for every six residents. Moreover, many of our staff caregivers are Certified Dementia Practitioners, which means they have completed specialized training in Alzheimer’s and dementia care. That level of staff expertise is something few other centers can match. If you include nurses, nutritional caregivers, environmental caregivers, enrichment team members, and our leadership team, our staff-to-resident ratio is even more impressive.

• Q. What is included in your monthly rate?

  A. Our rates are all-inclusive and cover:

  • A fully furnished private suite with private bath
  • All meals and snacks
  • All clinical care and services
  • Routine medical supplies
  • Medication management and distribution
  • Personal care items
  • Housekeeping and laundry services
  • All utilities and wi-fi
• Q. How do residents pay for your services?

  A. As a licensed residential care center, our services are typically paid for through one or more of the following: private pay (paid for by the resident/family from their own private resources), long-term care insurance, or VA Aid and Attendance benefits. Medicare and Medicaid (aside from specific services and circumstances) do not cover residential care. However, Medicare does cover some medical services for our residents, such as those provided by our attending physicians and many ancillary providers, as well as home health services (such as physical, occupational and speech therapy) if ordered by the resident’s attending physician.

• Q. What do we need to bring when my loved one moves in?

  A. Since each resident suite is fully and elegantly furnished, all a new resident really needs to pack is clothing. However, residents are welcome to bring décor and personal items to make their suite feel like home.

• Q. What is the transition like when my loved one moves in?

  A. Each family and resident are different. Some residents adjust within a few days, while others take longer. To ease the transition and answer any questions that may arise, your loved one will have a personal, 1-on-1 caregiver for the first 24 to 48 hrs. Loved ones are welcome to stay for as long as they like on move-in day.

• Q. When can we visit?

  A. You can visit anytime, day or night, 24/7! You know your loved one best, so it’s truly your choice when to come and how long to stay.

• Q. Do you offer any support services for families?

  A. We offer regular care conferences to update each family on their loved one’s well-being and care needs. We also host a Memory Loss Empowerment Group, a forum where you can connect with other families caring for someone with dementia. By sharing resources, insight, advice and encouragement, group members empower and support one another.

  ---