Memory Lane First Alzheimer?s-only Center

Memory Lane, located in Van Buren, opened three months ago as the first assisted living center in Arkansas that offers care specifically for patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

“There are other facilities in nursing homes that care for Alzheimer’s and dementia patients, but this is the only one that has been built for Alzheimer’s and dementia patients,” Dr. Robert Wendell Ross, doctor and founder of Memory Lane, said.

One in eight adults over 65 have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, and half of adults over 85 have Alzheimer’s disease, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.

“Individuals with Alzheimer’s and dementia require 24-hour-a-day care. If we could establish a care unit to take that responsibility from the family and let the family come love the patients, then that would be better for both the family and the patients,” Ross said.

Memory Lane currently has seven patients but plans to eventually have 20. Memory Lane has one nurse and two CNAs working during the day and two CNAs working at night.

“Because we don’t have other kinds of patients to take care of, we have a lot more time to interact with these patients. That’s what makes our care especially good for the patient. Patients have more one-on-one attention and more opportunities to interact with trained individuals who know how to interact with them,” Ross said.