DALLAS — Capital Senior Living Corp. (NYSE: CSU), a Dallas-based seniors housing operator, has launched Magnolia Trails to meet the growing need for individualized programming for residents receiving memory care services.
Magnolia Trails evolved out of one of the company’s communities where the local leadership team observed improvements in resident emotional and physical well-being as a result of highly individualized programming. In partnership with internal experts and dementia care consultant and author Rachel Wonderlin, the company applied these best practices to establish the key tenets of Magnolia Trails.
Aspects of the program include playing light background music that aligns with the generation living in the community, caregivers wearing business casual shirts and khakis rather than uniforms or scrubs, and team members sharing items with residents that spark positive memories of family members or past experiences.
The same responsive, sensory-focused approach is taken with dining. A menu of options is served throughout the day in a flexible but consistent manner. Staff members provide warm, scented washcloths before each meal and incorporate inviting, calming aromas and soft music to enhance the ambiance.
Because Magnolia Trails is focused on the best way to engage each individual resident, employees learn about and incorporate residents’ personal histories and interests into their ongoing daily interactions. Comforting hands-on activities are always available, such as flower arranging, puzzles and matching games. Interactive experience stations, such as pet care, gardening and tool benches are also always available.
“The number of people living with dementia is expected to double by 2060, so the program meets a growing need among the senior population and their families,” says Brandon Ribar, chief operating officer for Capital Senior Living.
Magnolia Trails has been introduced in four Capital Senior Living communities. By year’s end, the program will be rolled out to all of the company’s 37 communities that provide memory care services. During the 24 months following implementation of the program in the initial pilot community, occupancy improved from 69 percent to 100 percent with a waiting list, and average monthly rent increased more than 5 percent.