LeaderStat’s CEO, Eleanor Alvarez, is acknowledged by all who tour her new memory care center, The Ganzhorn Suites, as a pioneer in this field. On Monday, October 25th, at the downtown Renaissance Hotel, she will be formally recognized with a Smart 50 Award, given to "the top executives of the 50 smartest companies in the region for their ability to effectively build and lead successful organizations." The Smart 50 organization is an Ohio-based publishing (Smart Business magazine) and marketing company with a 20-year history of focusing on the C-level executives of fast-growth, middle-market and large companies. The Smart 50 Award is a celebration of a regional leader's success in three categories: innovation, impact and sustainability.
Why Eleanor Alvarez? Last Spring, Eleanor opened The Ganzhorn Suites, a forerunner in specialized dementia care centers. She would say everyone who innovates stands on the shoulders of giants. But the secret to innovation is often putting what we know into new configurations and adding our own creative flourish. Eleanor did just that, using her own 35 years of experience in senior care to create a memory care concept uniquely equipped to protect and enrich residents' lives. The Ganzhorn Suites' differences are in the sole focus on dementia/Alzheimer's, and in the novel way it incorporates a purpose-built design, personalized programming, advanced safety technologies, and a staffing and support system that assures not only execution of these programs but an unsurpassed level of care.
Design and programming: The Ganzhorn Suites is organized into four distinct households that accommodate 16 residents each, and the very architecture of the building was designed with this model in mind. Each household mimics an individual home, with its own kitchen, den and sunroom. TV can too easily become a babysitter, upsetting many with dementia. Instead, The Ganzhorn Suites uses technology to enhance residents' lives through family emailing and video chats, photographs and music. These uses of the computer help stimulate memories and maintain ties that ground residents in their past and their families. Touch screen, picture-based games provide easy access to engaging brain exercises that can slow mental decline.
Safety: The Ganzhorn Suites’ "purpose-built" model means that everything they do is done with specific intent, from the wall colors, textured bathroom flooring and strong visual cues like red lights above the toilets (which promote independence as well), to the custom-built monitoring system that provides real-time tracking of every resident and staff member.
Staffing and support services: The 1:5 ratio of staff to residents is rarely matched in the industry, and with this particular population, makes a huge impact on quality of life. Partnering with Dr. Douglas Scharre, a top dementia researcher who runs the Memory Disorders Clinic at OSU, the Ganzhorn Suites makes onsite treatment available to residents. They are also one of few centers to staff with a team of Certified Dementia Practitioners. The education and commitment involved with this certification process reaps highly visible benefits to our residents and families.
Winning this award proves that innovation exists even in places where the majority least expect it. To Eleanor, the most important innovations always involve the human element. "This isn't just an honor for me. It's an honor for the senior care industry," she says. "I could not have achieved this without a strong team of dedicated professionals. You can build pretty buildings, but it's the care that matters. If you don't have the right team, you don't have the right care!"
Eleanor hopes to bring The Ganzhorn Suites to other cities that need exceptional specialized memory care services. We're proud of our leader. Congratulations, Eleanor!
For more information on the Smart 50 Award, click here.