LaSalle Group to Break Ground on Chicago-Area Memory Care Community

By Jeffrey Steele, Contributing Writer

Arlington Heights, Ill.—The LaSalle Group will break ground May 7 on its ninth Chicago-area memory care community. Autumn Leaves of Arlington Heights, a 30,000-square-foot, $12 million innovative memory care community in suburban Arlington Heights, Ill. will deliver specialized care to approximately 50 residents living with Alzheimer’s, dementia or memory impairment.

Upon opening, the community will also provide free services for families in the area. Those services are to include educational seminars, speakers and Alzheimer’s support groups.

Specialty care is vitally needed in Illinois, where 210,000 people currently have Alzheimer’s, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. “The LaSalle Group has grown in a strategic way by adding one or two Autumn Leaves memory care communities every year in the Chicago suburbs,” Kay Adkins, director of development for Irving, Tex.-based The LaSalle Group, tells MHN.

“We were always aware of the strong need for specialized memory care in the Arlington Heights area, and were able to take advantage of a great land opportunity,” she says. “We plan to use our expertise there to help seniors living with Alzheimer’s and dementia.”

The main challenge The LaSalle Group faced was one of enlightening municipal officials to the nature of the development, Adkins says. “In the beginning, there was a lack of understanding regarding what our community provides and how we differentiate ourselves from others in the area,” she reports. “We had to educate the village leaders by explaining that we are a specialized, free-standing memory care community that is unlike anything else in Arlington Heights. We are not a traditional assisted living community. We specialize in memory care.”

Added Joseph Jasmon, The LaSalle Group’s chief operating officer, “The village is currently revitalizing the area around Autumn Leaves of Arlington Heights. The village and neighbors have been very supportive of our company, and we are proud to become a part of the community. We will provide resources to our residents, their families and people who live in the surrounding area.”

In developing Autumn Leaves of Arlington Heights, The LaSalle Group has delivered an innovative building design and advanced technology to help ensure a calm, safe and engaging atmosphere. A life engagement program will address residents’ needs for artistic expression, physical activity, spiritual support, community connections and continuing education.

Autumn Leaves of Arlington Heights will also offer a full-service beauty- barber salon, on-site memory care nurses and meals provided by a chef and dietician.

“Our innovative approach to care will use the latest technology to serve seniors with Alzheimer’s and dementia,” Adkins says. “Our programs will help families better understand how to care for their loved ones. In addition, we will provide respite care and day stay services to assist families who are caring for their loved ones at home.”