Lush gardens blossom from small seedlings. What has grown to be Abe’s Garden, which opened in August after 10 years of planning, really started two decades ago when beloved local physician Abram “Abe” C. Shmerling, MD, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in 1995.
As his family dealt with the ramifications of the disease, Abe’s son, Michael Shmerling, was stunned by the limited availability of quality services and care for those with an Alzheimer’s diagnosis. Despite the rapidly growing population of elderly adults who suffered with the disease and related dementias, there simply weren’t enough resources to improve the quality of life for those with AD … or for those who cared for them.
“I was surprised to learn that our family’s experience was not unique,” Michael Shmerling said of the frustration that came with looking into treatment and other options for his father’s care. “When I started thinking about what could be done, developing a system that aggregates the current best practices seemed like a good idea … so I decided to do it.”
His interest in establishing a nationally recognized Alzheimer’s Center of Excellence only grew as he witnessed his father suffer for more than 11 years with Alzheimer’s before succumbing to the disease in November 2006. A serially successful entrepreneur, the younger Shmerling sensed he could bring his business acumen to the table and apply it to the management of patient care – and, in the process, help alleviate some of the struggles families like his had experienced.
With each passing day, the pressing need for a respite for caregivers, research into best practices, and formation of a residential community that would be centered on caring for those facing the same fate as Abe became clearer to his son, and a plan to respond to this need took root and began to grow.
Without proven treatments or successful protocols for Alzheimer’s or dementia, Shmerling focused on improving the quality of life for those suffering from the disease and their families by planning a residential community and adult daycare program based on the existing research and expert input. Finding the right space for the residential campus was greatly aided by the fact that Park Manor Senior Living Apartments, a 50-year-old independent living facility, was for sale. The facility offered the option to combine an independent living operation with a redesigned area for assisted living and the new construction on an Alzheimer’s facility to provide a full continuum of care.
When Abe’s Garden opened in August, it became the first memory care community founded to demonstrate and nationally disseminate best practices and research to improve care and enrich the lives of families and patients impacted by Alzheimer’s and related dementias. Situated on the beautiful 7.4-acre wooded campus of Park Manor, Abe’s Garden shares access to a three-acre courtyard, which has become a perfect spot for families to visit, plant an interactive garden, grill a steak, and maybe even try their hand on the putting green.
The four cornerstones of the new residential facility are environmental design, person-centered care, staff training, and family support. In collaboration with the Hearthstone Institute, founded by John Zeisel, PhD, Abe’s Garden care partner, management, dining, housekeeping, and maintenance staff receive ongoing dementia specific training with a primary focus of enhancing lives and minimizing challenging behaviors during all stages of memory loss.
The one-of-a-kind campus utilizes best practices to inform all aspects of the facility from a 24-hour lighting scheme to support circadian rhythms to landscape design featuring raised garden beds and an interactive water feature to rooms outfitted with a new line of furniture designed by a gerontologist. Abe’s Garden also utilizes community elements that foster engagement for those living onsite or coming for day or evening care.
The facility has the capacity for 42 residents and 15 adult day or evening care participants. Construction included three family-size households with themes of Arts & Lifelong Learning, Connection to Nature, and Music & Movement. An interior connection of the households fosters resident socialization and staff support. Additionally, each of the households feature living spaces that are reminiscent of the homes in which the residents previously lived. The facility also includes a common area with lounge, pantry, nurse station, and guest rooms.
The work of Abe’s Garden, however, extends beyond the campus. Honoring Abe’s sense of community and love of science, the Shmerling family established the facility as a not-for-profit enterprise and formed a close alliance with the Vanderbilt Center for Quality Aging. Through this relationship, the family anticipates programming and the campus environment will continue to evolve. An endowed scientific chair was also recently established and geriatrics specialist Laura Dugan, MD, has been named the inaugural holder of the Abram C. Shmerling Chair in Alzheimer’s and Geriatric Medicine.
Abe’s Garden has been designed to be a community of memories and is not focused on what has been lost to Alzheimer’s. Instead, the goal is to focus on evidence-based care to help residents to retain their cognitive function longer than national benchmarks and to reduce or delay the need for skilled care. With its thoughtful design, most residents will never have to leave Abe’s Garden in the wake of disease progression.
“Our work is just beginning with the opening of this wonderful and one-of-a-kind community,” Shmerling said. “As we grow, learn and share our successes with senior care communities, businesses and researchers, Abe’s Garden will become a national model for the care of those with this debilitating disease.”
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