Assisted Living Community Specializing in Dementia, Alzheimer's Celebrates Groundbreaking

On a dusty construction site at 351 Lily Cache Ln., Bolingbrook and Autumn Leaves officials celebrated a ceremonial groundbreaking for a new, $10.2 million memory care center Tuesday. 

Autumn Leaves is an assistant living community that specializes in treating those with dementia or Alzheimer's. Its building and programming are designed to minimize confusion, promote social interaction and offer an open, home-like environment. 

The facility's staff is specially trained to work with dementia and Alzheimer's patients, both to certified dementia practitioner and internal standards. 

Rooms are organized into "themed neighborhoods" to help residents remember where they live. Themes include music, balloons and animals. Carpets and decorations in these areas correspond to the theme. 

Residents participate in "life engagement" programming such as field trips, arts and crafts, gardening and painting, said Mitchell Warren, president of the LaSalle Group. They also play memory games and have access to outdoor courtyards. 

The Bolingbrook facility will accommodate 46 live-in residents and will also offer short-term stays or day programming. Officials hope to open the center in June or July of next year. 

Autumn Leaves of Bolingbrook will also offer free services to the public, including seminars, educational speeches, memory screening, support groups, and free care on Wednesdays to give caregivers and family members respite. 

Meeting memory care needs 

This is the sixth memory care community The LaSalle Group, which own Autumns Leaves, has brought to the Chicagoland area. Other Autumn Leaves locations include Oswego, Crystal Lake, Orland Park and St. Charles. 

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, nearly half of Americans age 85 and older has Alzheimer’s.

There are 200,000 adults in Illinois suffering from dementia, said Brad Jacobsen, regional sales director for Constant Care Family. As the baby boomers age, that number will increase, he said. 

Autumn Leaves has 25 locations around the country. 

Warren said Autumn Leaves is a family company. His family has a background in real estate and started Autumn Leaves with another family that has a background in memory care. "We both wanted to be in the business of helping people," Warren said. 

Autumn Leaves is just one of several companies belonging to the LaSalle Group, including Autumn Oaks, which runs multiple independent and assistant living communities, and Constant Care Family Management.

Claar welcomes Autumn Leaves 

Bolingbrook Mayor Roger Claar said the facility would make a "beautiful addition" to the Bolingbrook community. 

"I thought it would be a perfect use of this space," Claar said. "We don't have a facility like this in the village yet. This is a nice fit." 

Warren said Bolingbrook's demographics made it a good location for the company. It's in a suburban setting with the right adult/child demographics and an aging population, he said. 

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