Memory support at The Gables meets each resident on his or her own terms.

When an aging loved one's mild to moderate cognitive difficulties become more of a problem for both of you, the question is not whether to get help. It's where to get the best help possible. Spouses and families in search of this quality of care have found The Gables at Westminster Canterbury to be the practical and loving answer they seek.

At The Gables, memory support care is not about attempting to return residents to the way they were. We nurture each resident, calmly and without insistence, in the world of cognitive function where they now live.

This is by design. Before we created The Gables, we visited some of the most recognized and innovative memory support programs in the country. This combination of research and due diligence confirmed everything we already knew about memory support care. It also gave us new ideas about what the ideal memory support program should offer and how it should operate. Then we built The Gables, literally and figuratively, from the ground up.

Innovative therapies help each resident have the best quality of life possible.

The therapies we provide at The Gables can combat feelings of helplessness, encourage a hopeful outlook, and avert boredom. The result is less frustration. Assessing your loved one's unique needs is the starting point. It's a process we start before they move in. Then our program combines and adapts therapies to individual needs to help your loved one maintain focus and connect with you, your family and others in meaningful ways.

The Gables' art, horticulture and music therapies - the Dominion Therapy Programs - are key components of our overall program of care. Art therapy in the form of drawing, painting, and printmaking, including projects in fiber and clay, provides the outlet of creative expression and the pleasure of creating artwork. Horticultural therapy uses the beauty of nature and the tactile benefits of working the soil to stimulate the mind, body and soul. It recalls an appreciation of the seasons and fulfills the basic human need to nurture. And through singing, playing and the natural movement they inspire, music therapy employs familiar tunes and lyrics to spark memories of happy times from childhood through adulthood.

Therapies such as these and others provide enriching ways to spend time productively. They provide active, creative outlets. They help residents communicate better, remember, and grow in sometimes new and surprising ways. And our residents delight in joining in, which makes these activities as social as they are therapeutic.

Our households recreate the look of home; our staff members, the genuine feel of it.

We divided The Gables into separate household areas, each with its own distinct look as an aid to familiarity. There is a comfortable, homelike feel about them, from the dining and sitting rooms to the hallways. Shelves hold collections of books. Board games and a piano are available for play. At the center is a kitchen and combination care base where one or more staff members are always present. Branching off are three residential wings.

Each wing has three studio residences. Each residence has a large window, and its inviting, soft-colored interior comes fully furnished. That does not preclude residents from adding personal touches - and we encourage that, whether it's cherished furniture, artwork, family pictures, small favorite belongings, or all of these. Outside each door and inset in the wall is an enclosed shadow box where mementoes can be displayed for a further touch of familiarity.

At the heart of the homelike feel of The Gables is our exceptional staff. All are patient, caring professionals trained in the science and art of memory care. The attentive, understanding daily assistance they provide comes with a genuine sense of caring, so much so that they often become like family to residents and their families.

The Gables provides an important balance between security and freedom of movement, with full access to the therapy garden and other areas. Accompanied by staff or family members, residents also may use many other amenities at Westminster Canterbury, as their cognitive abilities allow.

Visit us and see the difference the best practices in memory care can make.

We believe the care you want for your aging loved one is the care that allows living with the most dignity and respect. We provide that in every way imaginable at The Gables. Our memory support program blends interaction and independence into the best quality of life for each of our residents. And when the time comes, the transition to more comprehensive care in our Mary Morton Parsons Health Center is seamless for the resident and family members.

Effective memory support care can help your aging loved one stay engaged in life, even flourish. In turn, this also can be true for the spouse or family members who are freed from the difficulty and anxiety of being caregivers, but who want the comfort of being close by - just a few minutes walk if also residing at Westminster Canterbury Richmond.

We invite you to contact Laurie Hemler at 804-264-6256 to schedule a visit. You'll see firsthand how your loved one's care will be in the very best of hands at The Gables.

A Message from
the Manager of The Gables

Sloan Lindsey, LALFA, MSW

I have been blessed to be part of The Gables since it opened in 2005. In that time, I've seen each person who lives here make their own unique contributions to our "family," nurtured by a staff totally committed and dedicated to this amazing group. As family members visit, they become our extended family and the love that is shared is felt not only in The Gables but recognized across the entire Westminster Canterbury Richmond campus.

The Westminster Canterbury Vision is "Improving the lives of those we serve every day." Nowhere on our campus is that more alive than in The Gables where we help expand the quality of life of each resident, making every moment special and enjoyable. We become their historians, their family, their trusted partners in a sometimes scary, often unsettling journey.

With dementia, no day is the same, no hour is the same and no interaction is the same. The Gables prides itself on resident - centered care. Our residents guide us - they let us know what they like and what they dislike. In a society that often discounts the contributions of this compromised population, we help those afflicted to feel valuable with the information they share and decisions they make.

Independence is so vital to each one of us. Residents want to be active and we want to keep them that way. There are so many things to do, from a concert on campus to creating a banana split at the ice cream shop down the road. Many times I've heard family members reminisce about what Mom or Dad "used to love to do." It is so fulfilling when those same family members return to hear their loved ones making music, or to see them painting, gardening or involved in one of our many other activities. What a thrill to introduce those same family members to a "new" Mom or Dad with new stories to share and new memories to make.

With an outstanding, dedicated staff and so many remarkable residents, The Gables is a place like no other. Many of our staff members have been with the memory support program at Westminster Canterbury since long before 2005. This is truly a wonderful place to live - and to work.