By: Becky Pazkowski

As we watch the new building rise out of the ground and take structural shape, we marvel at the excitement each concrete pour brings, as floor after floor is added. Soon we will start to see the walls form, windows added, and the exterior will be buttoned up for the final months of construction.

With the expanded Assisted Living Residence and new Memory Care Residence, you might wonder what life will be like for our new residents of this building. Our goal is to be known as a premier leader, both locally and nationally, in providing innovative care for individuals and families experiencing cognitive decline associated with dementia. The health services team has been working diligently behind the scenes of construction to define and deliver the breadth and depth of this premier program.

At the same time, the Plymouth Harbor Foundation has been working with the health services team to define the portion of the programmatic features that will be supported by a capital campaign effort. A campaign committee has been formed, and they are in the very quiet stages of the campaign, talking with leadership and donors who have expressed interest in supporting the campaign. The two broad components of the project that the campaign will support are Educational Leadership and Inspirational Programming.

Educational Leadership: We have adopted the Positive Approach® to Care, developed by Teepa Snow, whose techniques and training models are used throughout the world.  Plymouth Harbor has initiated campus-wide training for all of our employees on this approach to caring for and interacting with persons with dementia. We will expand the training to include family members and the community-at-large.

Inspirational Programming: A diagnosis of dementia is devastating for you and your loved ones. The future is uncertain. The past is vague and confused. It is the present in which we must live, to seek and celebrate joy, discovery, and connection that can happen in a moment. This moment. Our programs will establish inspiring and fulfilling opportunities to spark that engagement with the moment, reaching the passion, emotion, and enthusiasm within each resident.

In January, we will share more about the specifics of the A Commitment to Memory capital campaign as we move towards our public announcement. Until then, if you have particular questions or would like more information about the campaign, please feel free to contact Becky Pazkowski at Ext. 398, or any of the campaign committee members listed below. Members of the capital campaign committee include:

Walt and Gerry Mattson, Honorary Co-Chairs

Barry and Phil Starr, Co-Chairs

Marie and Tom Belcher

Bruce Crawford and Joan Sheil

Jack Denison

Charles Gehrie

Jean Glasser

Harry Hobson, President/CEO

Jeanne Manser

Ann and Ray Neff

Cade Sibley

Tom Towler and Nancy Lyon