I toured another memory care facility Wednesday, this one in Petaluma

This was more of a “facility” than a group home

The floor plan was similar to Enzo Village, a big square donut shape with a nicely landscaped court yard in the middle

The huge difference is the facility was just a memory care facility….it wasn’t a CCR, it didn’t have independent living or assisted living options, just memory care

The space was pleasant, not too big, not too small

The one thing that seemed to resonate uniquely is they had appointed the space with things that would not be a problem given Matt’s utilization behavior

Some of the pictures, many of the wall art work, was designed to be touched

Some of the things that were standing as ornaments, decorations on various desks, credenzas were known to be picked up and moved by certain residents

They had no problem with that, matter of fact, they seemed to relish having a story to tell about the item and the resident’s inclination to engage with it

I have no expectation that his tendency to engage in this utilization behavior will change…..so it was nice to visit a facility that already had established ways to accomodate this

Over the weekend when the moment seemed right, I asked Matt if he liked living in the Farmhouse

He said he did

I asked him if he ever thought it might be easier to live in a place that had other folks who were dealing with similar things that he was

He said that might be a good idea

I asked, amongst other follow up questions, if he would be interested in living where Walter did, at Agesis

He said “the food was good there”

Corny had suggested that I include him in the consideration, the conversation of moving to a new place

My initial reaction was that it would be very hard to engage him in a meaningful conversation, it might trigger his delusions, his biggest concerns

But I was pleasently surprised this weekend, he was at a different place than I expected him to be, a place where he might actually be more open to it then I expected

So I will tour atleast 2 additional places next week

Gathering information, getting a sense as to what is out there, giving a few facilities that are recommended by the consultants working with us the “vibe” check

There will be a moment that the next level of due diligence will need to be taken, and those steps will be taken, at the right time

Till then, many concurrent paths are being explored, considered

The decision time will come, no doubt, but this work will make the ultimate decision easier in that research was done in advance, not at the 12th hour

Or atleast that is my hope…..

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