When it comes to caring for seniors with dementia and memory loss, the quality of care your loved one receives is only as good as the program the community offers.  While the Highgate at Temecula may be new to the Temecula community, the program at Highgate has been 25 years in the making. 

From years of experience caring for those with dementia and memory loss, Highgate developed a holistic approach to healthcare designed to help every individual live each day to the fullest. 

Highgate’s approach to memory care is rooted in three core values:

• Nourish the body with healthful foods, hydration, and exercise
• Calm the mind using aromatherapy, spa baths, and massage
• Renew the spirit with a personalize, positive approach to care

This three-pronged approach has led to more active residents who require less medication use to manage health and wellness. 

When it comes to managing the challenging behaviors that can accompany dementia or Alzheimer’s many communities utilize medications to calm residents.  “They calm it, they chill it, they put them to bed,” says Shelley Phoenix, Sales Specialist at Highgate at Temecula.  “I’ve been in healthcare about 20 years and the first time I walked in to a Highgate memory care community, everybody was up, laughing, and engaging with the staff and activities that were occurring. I uprooted my whole life and family from the East coast to come work at Highgate because I wanted to be a part of that.”  

Nourish the body

In 2013, the leadership team at Highgate met to discuss how to titrate medication use within Highgate communities.  From the discussion, the idea of utilizing teas to decrease medication use was discussed.  “We contracted with a tea chemist and had four branded teas made, “says Adam Bryan, Vice President of Sales for Highgate Senior Living. 

The teas are offered in compliment to Highgate’s signature health bars [Get the recipes here!] The four signature teas include:

• Tranquili-Tea for a lovely sense of calm
• Sereni-Tea for a wonderful night’s sleep
• Immuni-Tea to give the system a boost
• Digestibili-Tea for a truly happy tummy

The goal is to ensure that each medication residents do take is right and necessary.  “With every pill, there is a side effect.  We have high expectations for a low amount of medicine in our communities. If we can use tea to boost the immune system, help someone sleep better at night, improve digestion, or relax, with less side effects than using medication to treat these symptoms, it leads to happier, healthier residents,” says Bryan.

Calm the Mind

Several essential oils have proven effective for treating symptoms of dementia such as anxiety, sleep disturbances, and even memory and cognitive function.

Aromatherapy has been clinically proven to improve personal orientation related to cognitive function with use of rosemary and lemon essential oils in the morning, and lavender and orange in the evening.

“In the beginning, we offered aromatherapy and spa baths, with our signature scents and relaxing foot massages. But the idea of holistic health care at Highgate has evolved” says Bryan. Highgate’s created an aromatherapy policy which outlines uses for the aromatherapy scents they use.

• Essential oils that enhance appetite are used on warm hand towels before meal service.
• Essential oils that promote relaxation are used in a lotion or spritzed on a pillow at bedtime.
• Essential oils that are invigorating are placed in a diffuser before exercise.
• Essential oils that promote memory are spritzed before a cognitive activity.
• Essential oils that lift depression are used in a lotion or placed on a resident’s neck or wrists.
• Essential oils that boost immune response are placed in a diffuser or on an ill resident.
• Essential oils that help with insomnia are diffused in a resident’s room at night.

Highgate’s policy also outlines the various aroma scents that can be used depending on the goal of the care partner.

Renew the Spirit

As one of America’s leading educators on dementia, Teepa Snow’s philosophy is reflective of her 30 years of experience working with families and providers who care for those with dementia and memory loss. 

Snow’s Positive Approach® to Care techniques coupled with Highgate’s holistic approach to healthcare means each resident who lives at Highgate at Temecula receives a personalized program of care.  “If the resident is up at 3 a.m. because they are sun downing, then we embrace it and start the day with them” says Phoenix. 

“We spend a lot of time, energy, and effort talking about, thinking about, and programming to allow residents to continue to live a life of purpose each day,” says Marjorie Todd, Chief Operating Officer at Highgate Senior Living.  “Our in-depth personal interviews with each resident allow us to identify what it is that really makes them feel valuable, and important, and needed.  Every thread of our programming calendar is rooted in what gives each resident a sense of purpose.”

Researching memory care for a loved one?

We’re positive you won’t find a program quite like ours. “It takes extra time, attention and energy to provide this kind of holistic health care support to every resident, but it’s that important to us. That’s why we’re in the business. That’s what makes us Highgate,” says Bryan.

Learn more about Highgate at Temecula’s dementia and memory care program today.