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Ribbon cutting opens new memory care facility

6 mins read
Surrounded by state and local officials, including Gov. Paul LePage, Woodlands Senior Living owner Lon Walters cuts the ribbon
Gov. Paul LePage shakes hands with Matthew Walters, the COO of Woodlands Senior Living.

FARMINGTON – Local and state officials, including the governor, attended the grand opening of a senior living and memory care center Tuesday morning. Community tours will be held over the next few  days, with the facility opening for resident admissions soon.

Woodlands Memory Care of Farmington, operated by Woodlands Senior Living in Maine, has constructed its facility on a 34-acre parcel of land located at 175 Knowlton Corner Road. Designed for residents with Alzheimer’s disease and related memory loss conditions, the $4 million, 20,000 square foot project broke ground in September 2016 after receiving planning board approval. Construction on that facility is now complete, providing space for 36 residents. The facility includes a number of memory care-related improvements, including high-efficiency climate controls, video monitoring safety systems and lighting designed to minimize the confusion and agitation that can afflict individuals with dementia.

The site was later approved for an expansion, including a 32,000 square foot building and a total of 66 beds in 46 residential care units and 18 apartments. The expansion, which also includes rooms for staff, food preparation, dining, recreation, training, maintenance and housekeeping, has been estimated at $7.2 million.

Governor Paul LePage was one of several speakers to congratulate Woodlands Senior Living on its newest facility, the 12th senior living community in Maine and the seventh specific to residents requiring memory care. Maine was the oldest state in America, LePage said, going on to outline state initiatives such as Senior Safe, which combats financial exploitation of seniors, and providing additional Department of Health and Human Service funds for the operation of nursing homes. It was important, LePage said, to not only have dedicated facilities for memory care but to have facilities located inside rural Maine communities.

Gov. Paul LePage addresses those attending the grand opening.
Lon Walters, owner of Woodlands Senior Living.

Other officials also congratulated Woodlands Memory Care, including Town Manager Richard Davis and representatives from western Maine’s Congressional Delegation. Davis noted that Farmington had created a 10-year Tax Increment Financing agreement that encompassed the Woodlands facility, in what he termed an example of public and private cooperation. That agreement provides Woodlands with a credit enhancement agreement, returning taxable income for 10 years to help defray the approximately $1 million cost of the original site’s development, including running a cross-country sewer line and installing a booster pump station. The TIF will simultaneously shelter the additional property value from the state’s valuation calculations, resulting in state aid to education and municipal sharing not being reduced and the town’s share of the county assessment not increasing as a result of the project.

Laurie Trenholm, the executive director of Maine’s chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, congratulated Woodlands Senior Living on the “absolutely gorgeous” facility. She noted that Alzheimer’s was the sixth leading cause of death nationwide, and the only cause in the top ten that could not be either prevented, treated or slowed. In Maine, 27,000 people are believed to have Alzheimer’s, with that number anticipated to grow 35 percent in the next 10 years.

Besides the actual residents, Trenholm said, the families and caretakers of Alzheimer’s patients were also impacted. The work of Woodlands Senior Living personnel was critical to maintaining their well-being, she said.

“You all are the heart and soul of memory loss care,” Trenholm said to the many employees scattered throughout the crowd.

The owner of Woodlands Senior Living, Lon Walters, thanked LePage and his administration for assisting in precipitating a “culture change” within state government regarding senior living and memory loss care. He also thanked the town of Farmington for its support, and Camden National Bank for providing the capital to allow the project to go forward. He singled out Peter Bethanis, the project’s architect, Thayer Engineering and Senior Spec Construction for their work in building the facility.

Woodlands Senior Living of Farmington will be holding an open house from Sept. 27 to Oct. 1, with guided tours running from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. daily. Reservations are not required.

The new Woodlands Senior Living of Farmington memory care facility.
Inside the center.
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