The Gardens

What makes The Gardens different from traditional memory care?
There is a staggering sameness in the design of memory care and assisted living communities all over the country. The similarity is derived in large part from a nearly universal emphasis on operational efficiency. The financial and organizational pull that results in this operating paradigm is strong and therefore very little innovation has occurred in nearly 25 years. But at The Gardens, this is not the case. There are a number of ways The Gardens at The Watermark differs from other memory care programs in Fairfield County. The primary differences are in our vision, approach, size and even our name.

Our Vision
Our vision and approach are unique because we believe that choice and control are critically important to people of all ages and given the right environment and encouragement people can continue to grow and flourish - even those with Alzheimer’s disease or memory loss.

Our Size
A key difference in The Gardens is our small size. At full capacity only 13 residents will live in The Gardens. With a minimum of two caregivers during the day and evening shifts and one caregiver during the night, our caregiver-to-resident ratio is much higher than other communities. This allows residents maximum choice and flexibility.

Because associates interact with residents throughout the day, they know the little details right down to what residents have had to eat, what programs they participated in, how they are reacting to new medications and how well they slept last night. A small setting and high staff-to-resident ratio means more than meaningful relationships and connections, it means associates who can take the time to notice subtle changes. This attention to detail ultimately means better care and health for residents of The Gardens.

Our Associates
When visitors tour most assisted living and memory care communities, it is the features and amenities which are generally highlighted. Yet the quality and number of people actually caring for the resident are far more critical to prospective residents and family members.

Our caregivers are responsible for all aspects of a resident’s wellbeing. They cook, provide assistance with the activities of daily living, administer medications and coordinate resident programs. Because of the unique way we staff The Gardens, we have more caregivers per resident than other communities. This higher staffing ratio permits us to provide the individual attention that other programs simply cannot.

Most communities have frequent staff turnover and employees often feel overworked and underpaid. This is not the case at The Watermark. Our high caregiver-to-resident ratio not only promotes individualized attention and choice for residents, it makes for a more rewarding work life for our associates as well.

Our Name
Even our name, The Gardens, is an important element of our program. When visiting other memory care communities, you’ll hear words like “units” and even “locked units.”  We call our program The Gardens because we believe people can grow and thrive despite their condition. We understand the importance of safety and security, but we also believe that people can’t flourish when they are “locked down.”  All of this adds up to a program that is dramatically different.

The Typical Resident Day
It’s not easy to describe a “typical” day at The Gardens, because here, each day unfolds based on the individual choices and preferences of our residents. When to wake, what to do, what to eat, when to eat it... at The Gardens life doesn’t happen on a rigid, pre-set schedule. Here, its just life, made easy and fun by associates who care as much about residents as they do for them. We believe this is the key to creating an extraordinary community where people thrive.

From the Connecticut Post:

62 years later, couple renews vows

Associates at the Watermark at 3030 Park in Bridgeport recently planned and hosted a festive wedding renewal for a resident of The Gardens, the memory care unit at the senior living community, and her husband.

Herman and Dorthy Kranes met at a New York country club in July of 1947. They wed in July of 1948 and have been happily married since. Dorthy is confined to a wheelchair and suffers from memory loss issues, and Herman makes an effort to visit her every day.

When staff had the opportunity to provide a special moment for Dorthy, they jumped at the chance. Residents, family and staff watched as the couple exchanged vows once again, nearly 62 years later. A champagne reception followed in The Gardens with a traditional toast and cake-cutting. The bridegroom had tears in his eyes as he expressed how much the ceremony meant to him.

Details

• 24 hour monitoring in secure and alarmed private suites with expansive views, private bathrooms and showers
• Lovely secure memory garden
• Assistance with all the activities of daily living
• Individually controlled heat and air conditioning
• 3 made-to-order meals per day with Registered Dietician oversight
• Medication administration
• Health care management and monitoring
• On site physician
• One hour of personal assistance per resident per day
• Daily tidying and weekly housekeeping
• All personal and flat laundry
• Personalized service plans
• Transportation
• Recreational activities supervised by a Certified Recreational Therapist
• Telephone and basic cable television
• On site Social Services Director providing counseling and referral services
• Diverse wellness program including indoor heated pool
• 24 hour maintenance services

Request a Tour

To find out more about The Gardens at The Watermark at 3030 Park, call
1-203-502-7593 or contact us today.

The Gardens – A Day in The Life The best way to illustrate life at The Gardens is to tell the stories of our residents. We’ll paint the picture by sharing a “typical” day of a resident we’ll call Joann.

The day begins….
Joann begins her day by arising at her leisure. Whether Joann awakens at 6:00 am or 10:00 am, she can have whatever she wants for breakfast. Joann happens to be an early riser. She’s always preferred to wake with the birds to enjoy the morning paper and a cup of hot coffee, so that’s exactly how her day begins. Her caregivers know that after she peruses the sports section, Joann’s favorite breakfast of choice is oatmeal with wheat toast and peach jam, so it’s always on hand.

This is the first fundamental difference between The Gardens and a typical memory care community. At most communities, a pre-set breakfast is served during a pre-determined timeframe, a daily regimen is largely dictated by staffing patterns. Because our associates are caring for fewer residents, but doing more for each of them, schedules can easily be tailored to individual needs and desires.

Joann is likely to join her friends for the meal or sit quietly and read the paper during her breakfast. She can take as long as she wishes to eat her breakfast and read the paper, since no staff member is compelling her to leave the dining area in order for it to be “re-set” for lunch, as would be the case in a typical community. So Joann, on her own schedule, can make new friends and socialize with those she already knows.

Morning programs…

Joann’s morning exercise class energizes the mind and body. Afterwards, she and many residents head to her favorite brain-fitness class, Photography. Our associates know that Joann loved photography classes in college, so they created this Watermark University course with memory care in mind. Tomorrow, Joann might find herself putting the final stroke on her pen-and-ink masterpiece, learning Pilates or adding her words and thoughts to the Patchwork Poetry class. Each day unfolds based on Joann’s choices, just like the days unfolded for years in her own home.

The daily schedule is designed to meet Joann’s needs and can change each and every day. Some set programs, like the daily morning exercise class, are offered if residents choose to participate. Every day Joann can choose fun, engaging brain and body fitness classes through The Watermark’s Watermark University program. We created this course catalog filled with interesting classes because we believe that stimulating the mind and strengthening the body has extraordinary benefits at every age and can even slow the process of memory loss. These courses and programs are tailored to residents’ passions and are all designed with memory care in mind.

Lunch how and when you want it…

During her morning yoga poses Joann decides the ideal lunch would be a hearty bowl of tomato bisque soup instead of her usual favorite BLT. Today is the perfect day to take lunch in the living room with her friends and neighbors to watch the Wimbledon tennis finals. Ruth, one of the caregivers, makes Joann’s bisque with two crumbled saltines, just how she likes it, and joins her and a few other residents for lunch.

Lunch is served around the same time every day but if residents don’t feel like eating at this time, our caregivers prepare whatever they want, whenever they want it. Joann’s low sodium diet is designed and frequently reviewed by The Garden’s consulting dietitian to assure that all of her dietary needs are being met. Favorite snacks are always available, even at 3:00 in the morning.

The afternoon unfolds…

After lunch, Joann usually takes a brisk walk around the beautiful memory garden with her poodle Luke. Not one other memory care community in Fairfield County allows pets, but we can’t imagine Joann giving up her friend of 12 years. Today she opts to take a shorter walk and go with Ruth and a few of The Gardens residents and their family members on an excursion to the Farmer’s Market. There, she selects a few heirloom tomatoes for her BLT sandwiches – perfect for tonight’s dinner.

We encourage family members to join us on excursions and volunteer as often as possible. Volunteerism is important because we like to take residents on outings, especially when the weather is nice, like to the Farmer’s Market, to Southport on the train, wherever residents want to go.

The evening meal…

On this particular night, Joann and her son who is visiting opt to take Joann’s BLT and her son’s Chicken Picatta in the living room on tray tables because the third game of the World Series is on and being die-hard Yankee fans, they don’t want to miss it! 

Dinner is a high point for everyone because the food is wonderful and many family members come by to gather for the meal. It is not unusual to see visiting family members help caregivers serve dinner or even help with the dishes after. We believe this happens because our kitchen and dining room are so intimate they feel just like home. You’d never see that in a typical memory care community. To close the day…

On her way to bed, Joann stops by the pantry in case she wants her favorite midnight snack later - a pack of low sodium Ritz crackers with cheddar cheese slices. To close the day, Joann has always loved a nice warm shower. Tonight feels like a lavender-sage kind of night, so she enjoys a luxurious aromatic shower in her own private bathroom. For Joann, it’s a great ending to a wonderful day. It’s like she’s living independently at home, in a beautiful, comfortable atmosphere, making choices that suit her personal preferences but with all the help and support she needs, every step of the way.

As you can see, the differences are subtle, but significant. Joann enjoys more choice in her daily life. She doesn’t have to stick to the same schedule - unless she likes a particular routine, like many of us do!  Each day Joann is offered a variety of activities to stimulate her physically, spiritually and mentally. No two days in Joann’s life are exactly the same in the Gardens. But then, no two days were the same in her own home either. The best way to understand life at The Gardens is to visit and see for yourself. Meet our expert associates, talk with our residents and learn how they’re thriving. Enjoy a meal, sit in on a Watermark University class or two, or better yet, teach one! You’ll see that The Gardens are nothing like what you’d expect from a memory care community – and that’s the whole point.