The senior population in Connecticut is growing, and West Hartford-based Brookdale Chatfield is responding by investing $26.6 million to expand its assisted living and dementia care services -- a move the outfit expects will create dozens of jobs.
Scheduled for completion in June, the project will create 50 assisted living apartments and 34 memory care units for those living with Alzheimer's and dementia. The community's 117 independent living apartments are getting a renovated entrance and new bistro.
The Alzheimer's and dementia care community will be the focus of the Clare Bridge program developed by Brookdale, which aims to provide a meaningful and purposeful daily life for those in dementia's middle to later stages; it does so through activities and events tailored to individual interests.
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Based on figures from The Alzheimer's Association, there are 74,000 people in Connecticut living with Alzheimer's and dementia, and the association estimates this figure will reach 91,000 by 2025.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, people 65 and older make up nearly 16 percent of Connecticut's population.
"We are expanding our services so we can serve more seniors and provide a greater range of services," said Rose Thomason, executive director of Brookdale Chatfield, in a statement. "As our residents' needs change, they will still have access to care at the community they call home."
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