LaSalle Group to Develop Two Memory Care Properties in Austin Area

By Dees Stribling, Contributing Editor

Austin, Texas—The LaSalle Group, which specializes in memory-care seniors housing, has broken ground on two properties in the Austin, Texas, area. Both will be for memory care residents exclusively, with one in northwest Austin (Autumn Leaves of Northwest Austin) and the other in Georgetown (Autumn Leaves of Georgetown).

Both properties will employ building design and various kinds of new technology to create a calm but engaging environment, according to the developer. A “life engagement program” will aim to fulfill residents’ needs for artistic expression, physical activity, communal connections and continuing education, among other things. The properties will also feature the Vigil System, a motion sensor program in each resident’s room that subtly alerts staff members to problem situations, if needed, and gathers information to improve the resident’s comfort level.

Autumn Leaves of Northwest Austin will be a 26,000-square-foot facility to provide care for nearly 50 residents living with Alzheimer’s, dementia and memory impairment. It is slated for completion by the end of this year.

Autumn Leaves of Georgetown, also measuring 26,000 square feet with room for about 50 residents, will likewise be completed by the end of 2014. The property will be on Williams Dr. between downtown Georgetown and the 5,000-plus-acre Del Webb Sun City Texas seniors property. Georgetown is the county seat of Williamson County in the greater Austin area, north of the city, with a population of about 47,400 (with roughly a third of those in Sun City Texas).

“Austin is typically viewed as a place for young people, but it’s also proving to be a top destination for people seeking a place to retire,” a spokeswoman for the developer tells MHN. She cites data published in Forbes magazine that puts Austin’s population at 1.8 million, with an annual growth rate of 2.8 percent, thus making it a solid market for expansion of the Autumn Leaves brand. Since the population of seniors is growing, the need for Alzheimer’s and dementia care will grow as well in the coming years.