MEMORY CARE
Book Highlight: “New Possibilities in Memory Care: The Silverado Story”
By Cynthia Helzel L
oren Shook and Steve Winner revo- lutionized the world of memory care with the groundbreaking practices
they implemented in their Silverado memory care communities. Shook, chairman of the Argentum board of directors and presi- dent, CEO, and chairman of Silverado, co founded the company in 1996 with chief of culture emeritus Steve Winner, who retired from Silverado in 2016. The two have written and recently released their much-anticipated second book, “New Possibilities in Memory Care: The Silverado Story.” The book shows that life can continue to be meaningful and fulfilling even after a dementia diagnosis. It imparts a wealth of memory care advice while sharing engaging anecdotes from the Silvera- do “family,” including the authors’ own lives. The authors’ first book, “The Silverado
Story: A Memory-Care Culture Where Love is Greater than Fear,” was released in 2010. That book is used in the curriculum of the management of aging services program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and it has become required reading for exec- utives at several senior living companies. When Shook and Winner founded Silver-
ado, they set out to change the way people with memory impairment were cared for— not just at Silverado, but throughout the world. They opened their first community in Escondido, Calif. in June 1997. At the time, their unique methods were looked at askance by traditional memory care provid- ers. However, they stuck by the beliefs each had developed after years of working with psychiatric, memory impaired, and devel- opmentally disabled people. “I’ve run psychiatric hospitals and seen
so many people come into our hospitals with memory impairment and they were absolutely angry, upset people,” Shook says.
“They were just mis-medicated, overmedi- cated, mismanaged, and misunderstood. I knew what could be and I knew what should be. Steve did, too. We knew it could be a whole lot better.” Silverado now has 36 memory care com-
munities in seven states, plus 10 Silverado hos- pice sites and six Silverado home care offices. “New Possibilities in Memory Care” re-
veals the details of Silverado’s groundbreak- ing Nexus brain health program, which has been proven to improve cognition and slow the onset of dementia for those in the early stages of memory impairment. Nexus is a 20-hour-a-week program built
on six “pillars:” purposeful social activity, physical exercise, relaxation techniques, sup- port groups, customized digital programs, and cognitive exercises. Shook points out that Nexus does not cure memory loss, but rather slows the progression of the disease. Studies show that the Nexus program enhances cognition by 3½ points out of 30 on the MMSE (Mini Mental State Examination). By comparison, untreated memory-impairing disease generally causes scores to decline by 1½ -2 points per year. “You can slow the progression and our data is showing that we can actually improve cog- nition better than any medication with the Nexus program,” Shook says. ADL scores improve even more dramati-
cally as a result of Nexus participation. Res- idents have been able to restore diminished abilities, including walking and feeding themselves, after taking part in the program. A large part of the Silverado system is
finding a way for each person to feel valued and passionate about life. All residents have normal daily routines and numerous clubs offer opportunities to pursue favorite hob- bies or learn new ones. Family members are
44 SENIOR LIVING EXECUTIVE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018
welcome to visit at any time, and may enjoy meals with residents at no cost. The oppor- tunity for daily interaction with animals and children is part of the program, as is the freedom to enjoy the outdoors. Silverado is constantly refining and
updating its techniques based on its own experience and the latest clinical research. “We have a Nexus-level Parkinson’s
program that we’ve launched, which is really making a difference in people with Parkinson’s disease and memory impair- ment,” Shook says. Since the first book was published, Silverado has expanded its work in the areas of hospice and home care, and now offers Nexus at Home. The company also provides free training to hospitals in the care of memory-impaired patients. Two lines from the book best sum up the
Silverado mission: “People aren’t here to rest or slip quietly from society. They come here to live.”
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