On this page we share interesting stories at The Palace Gardens.
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From our vantage point, we’re often asked by families how an assisted living community would improve their loved one’s life, especially since no one anticipates a move from a current home being easy.
Memory care activities at The Palace Gardens in Homestead tap the inner creativity of residents through regularly scheduled arts & crafts and ceramics workshops. “Art is a way for people with dementia to express themselves,” said Jennifer Almodovar, Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist. “It provides an outlet for self-expression and helps them relax.”
At memory care at The Palace Gardens Homestead one of the activities found on the community’s monthly calendar is Reminiscence Therapy. Reminiscence therapy uses all the senses- sight, touch, taste, smell and sound and these help people remember events, people and places. Studies have found that storytelling about the past helps people feel less isolated and more connected to the present.
When considering an assisted living community, one of the difficulties people often need to overcome is downsizing from where they are currently living. Elizabeth Martinez, director of sales at The Palace Gardens Homestead, finds change is difficult for anyone, especially as we age. She says it’s only natural as we become more set in our ways the older we get.
June is National Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Month and a perfect time to celebrate the delicious food found at The Palace Gardens in Homestead that incorporates the freshest produce.
Caregiving for a spouse by either a wife or husband may become too difficult as they need greater care, attention and support.
At The Palace Gardens in Homestead, when pets visit the assisted living and memory care community, there are always smiles and laughter. Several times a week each month, residents are visited by therapy animals including Prada, the Golden Retriever; Dot, the Yorkie; and Finnegan, the Collie, along with their handlers.
The activity calendars for assisted living and memory care at The Palace Gardens are filled with exercise classes that offer specialized instructors and are geared to engage and inspire the residents.
For many families the decision to select the right assisted living community for their loved one seems overwhelming especially when there are so many options offering similar services.
At The Palace Gardens, a senior living community in Homestead offering assisted living and memory care, memory boxes – located at the entrance to each resident’s apartment – are used to inspire conversation with caregivers, children or grandchildren.
Ever taken a cruise and marveled at the availability of live entertainment every evening? That’s what residents and their families enjoy living at The Palace Gardens, the assisted living and memory care community in Homestead.
An important topic to address when researching assisted living communities is accreditation, advises Elizabeth Martinez, director of marketing and sales at The Palace Gardens Homestead.
It’s 3 p.m. at The Palace Gardens in Homestead’s memory care community and musicians are tuning their instruments for residents’ happy hour music. This scene takes place not just one day of the week…but every day of the week.
On Tuesday, November 13th, The Palace Gardens employees will head to Homestead Police Department to deliver a delicious catered brunch prepared by the community’s talented culinary department.
The month of November is National Family Caregivers Month. The Palace Gardens honors and recognizes family caregivers and wants to bring attention to this year’s theme, “Caregiving Around the Clock”.
With the holidays nearing and families planning visits to see their loved ones in a memory care community, one helpful tip is to bring a scrapbook photo album to share, recommends Jennifer Almodovar, CTRS, Memory Care activities director of The Palace Gardens Homestead.
It’s 3 p.m. at The Palace Gardens in Homestead’s memory care community and musicians are tuning their instruments for residents’ happy hour music. This scene takes place not just one day of the week…but every day of the week.
The Palace Gardens in Homestead is hosting a family-friendly “mini-walk” to fight Alzheimer’s disease on Saturday, November 10 from 8:30 a.m. to noon.
The Palace Gardens recently held a “Senior Citizen of the Year” award ceremony and recognized two older adults who go above and beyond in helping others in Homestead.
When exploring options available in assisted living and memory care communities, it’s important to ask if the assisted living community is using the Montessori Method in their caregiving techniques.
The week of Sept. 9-15 is National Assisted Week® and the annual, national observance provides a unique opportunity for residents, their loved ones, staff and volunteers to celebrate the individuals served in assisted living while learning more about this type of senior housing.
Talking with someone with dementia often becomes a challenge for family members and caregivers. The Palace Gardens, Homestead’s award-winning memory care and assisted living community requires extensive ongoing training for their team helping them have the tools to communicate with residents.
The Palace Gardens Homestead offers families a secure memory care neighborhood for their loved ones. In talking with people and explaining our community, we often find there are many myths about Alzheimer’s disease. These eight myths have been excerpted from the Alzheimer’s Association.
At The Palace Gardens in Homestead, innovative robotic animal therapy is being used in the community’s memory care neighborhood. “Our residents enjoy the comfort derived from cuddling the community’s robotic cats, dogs and lifelike dolls,” said Jennifer Almodovar, CTRS (Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist), the community’s memory care activity director. “Their use with our memory care residents has had some very positive results with residents from who typically are nonresponsive and anxious.”
In working with families who have loved ones living at The Palace Gardens memory care neighborhood, we often recommend some tips families find helpful when they visit. We understand how difficult it may be for some families to see their loved one with dementia, but visiting is encouraged at The Palace Gardens.
The Palace Gardens resident, Frances Layow, recently celebrated the milestone of her 100 th birthday
with family and friends who came from near and far to be on hand to honor her. Activity director Frank Dunbar decorated The Palace’s theater in Frances’ favorite color scheme of pink and purple and the guest of honor was dressed to match and radiated her happiness with the attention that was lavished on her for her special day.
Among the many activities on the monthly activity calendar at The Palace Gardens in Homestead is one that is a residents’ favorite—pet therapy. Each week, pet owners bring their pets for animal-assisted therapy typically known as pet therapy. At The Palace, these are pets that have been specially trained and their visits bring comfort and joy. More and more animals are being used for therapeutic purposes at assisted living and memory care communities and visit on a regular basis. Therapy animals can range from dogs and cats to rabbits and even llamas. Research indicates that therapy animals are used to promote health and healing whether someone is depressed, chronically ill or has disabilities.
The Palace Gardens Homestead, the award-winning assisted living and memory care community, is inviting the public to “Give Cancer the Boot: A Night of Line Dancing”, a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life on Thursday, July 26 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. The western-inspired event welcomes costumes and line dancing demonstrations and instruction will help novices learn the basics. Tickets are $25.00 per person and line dancing, hors d’oeuvres and signature cocktails are included.
The Palace Gardens, an Assisted Living and Memory Care community in Homestead, offers residents the use of a unique multi-sensory room especially geared for Alzheimer’s care. Here, residents sit with a caregiver in soft enveloping recliners amid a room draped in soft white flowing fabric and enjoy soothing sounds, smells and other tactile stimulation with specialized lighting. The multi-sensory room is inspired by Snoezelen (pronounced snuzelen), a type of therapy originally founded in Holland where a controlled multisensory environment is used for people with autism and other developmental disabilities, dementia or brain injury.
Research indicates that even people with some type of dementia can reap the many benefits of physical fitness. Therefore, residents living in assisted living and memory care at The Palace Gardens are encouraged to exercise daily. “’Let’s get moving’ is the daily refrain to inspire our residents,” said Jennifer Almodovar, CTRS, Memory Care Activities Director. “Our families are so pleased finding their loved ones are participating in exercise, something they weren’t doing at home and now enjoy with neighbors.”
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