BALTIMORE — Senior Helpers®, the nation’s premier provider of in-home senior care, unveiled the first Town Square®, an innovative adult day enrichment center tailored towards senior citizens, including those with Alzheimer’s and dementia. The company held the official ribbon-cutting event to welcome the company’s inaugural location to the Baltimore area on Wednesday, October 16, 2019. The new 11,000-square-foot center will be the first of many new, Town Square locations planned nationwide and will open its doors to the public the following month.
“Town Square represents an important step forward in the future of senior care in this country,” said Peter Ross, Town Square CEO. “It offers all seniors a location to gather, socialize and find a sense of belonging. For families of those living with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, the safe, affordable care provided at Town Square and the thoughtful design of the center itself is truly groundbreaking.”
Town Square features an interactive mid-century “town” with 13 distinctive storefronts and experiences. These include a 1950s-era diner, movie theater, library, game room, garage with a beautiful vintage car and garden center all arranged around a green central park. The storefronts and their programming evoke a time when members were young adults and have been designed to appeal to all seniors. For those with dementia it can be particularly beneficial. The behavioral approach, known as reminiscence therapy, uses prompts such as movies, music, photographs and activities to stimulate long-term memories and has been shown to reduce anxiety and lessen symptoms and side effects of the disease.
Local and state dignitaries welcome Town Square®, an interactive adult enrichment center to the Baltimore community with an official ribbon cutting on Wednesday, October 16, 2019. The new 11,000-square-foot center, the first of many Town Square locations planned nationwide, will accommodate approximately 100 guests a day and serve seniors in the greater Baltimore metro area.
“Reminiscence therapy makes Town Square unique and is truly a game-changer not only for those diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or dementia, but for all seniors,” said Ross. “By creating this environment, we’re aiming to create a sense of shared community that people from all backgrounds can enjoy and benefit from.”
Future Town Squares will be modeled after the Baltimore location and will be designed to accommodate approximately 100 members per day, for half or full-days every day of the week. Leveraging learnings developed as part of a strategic alliance with the George G. Glenner Alzheimer’s Family Centers Inc.® Glenner Town Square®, based in Chula Vista, CA, Town Square is able to uniquely cater to the needs of Alzheimer’s and dementia patients.
“We started by looking at the Glenner Center’s personalized and innovative approach to care and made a number of alterations to tailor the experience to members’ specific needs,” noted Greg White, vice president of franchise development. “For instance, one of our storefronts is a health club that will accommodate the physical and occupational therapy needs of our members, and we plan to partner with Silver Sneakers to offer classes there as well. We’ve also created a state-of-the art, learning center with programs to stimulate members with educational activities. All of the programming at Town Squarehas been carefully designed to deliver enriching, safe, affordable and accessible care.”
Senior Helpers, whose employees will staff Town Square, finds the new center completely aligned with its mission “to provide compassionate care and improve the quality of life for our clients, their families and our employees.”
Executives from Town Square, including: Ross, White and Bob Pearce, director of operations, were joined at the ribbon cutting by Brent Howard, CEO of Baltimore County Chamber of Commerce and local dignitaries.
For more information about the grand opening of Maryland’s first Town Square, located at 9708 Belair Road in Perry Hall, visit https://shtownsquare.com, or contact Bob Pearce at rpearce@shtownsquarecorp.com or 443-948-6175.