Brookdale Vernon Hills launches $12 million project to add dementia care

Brookdale Vernon Hills will begin work on a $12 million project to add Alzheimer's and dementia care solutions and to also enhance common areas in the senior living community in a ceremony 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 17.

In a twist to the traditional groundbreaking, residents will don protective gear and swing hammers to help demolish a wall, marking the official start of construction.

The project, scheduled for completion in the fall of 2020, includes the conversion of several assisted and independent living apartments into 29 memory care suites and eight companion rooms. Brookdale will add programs to provide residents living with dementia with a continuum of care.

The work also will include the addition of a bar area for independent living residents as well as remodeling of a therapy gym and cafe area they use. Assisted living residents will benefit from remodeling of a dining room and addition of an activity room, library, living room and beauty shop.

The additions and new programs will create 25 to 30 new jobs, according to a Brookdale news release.

Brookdale's Clare Bridge program will serve residents with advanced dementia, while its Clare Bridge Crossings program provides residents who are living with early symptoms of dementia with an intermediate step from independent or assisted living to memory care.

"This specialized programming preserves self-esteem and enables persons living with early dementia to remain engaged with peers when they might otherwise struggle socially - and be more susceptible to depression - in a traditional assisted living setting," Juliet Holt Klinger Holt, Brookdale's dementia care expert, said in the release.

Brookdale Vernon Hills is at 145 N. Milwaukee Ave. Brookdale operates and manages 809 communities in 45 states and the ability to serve approximately 77,000 residents.