By Katie Vasquez
The rooms on the 5th floor of Ozanam Hall of Queens Nursing Home will soon be filled with 50 residents all battling dementia. Cabrini hall is the newest memory care unit at the Queens facility.
Dawn Carrillo can’t wait for her mother, Elba Schmidt’s move. It’s only one floor up but the space is tailored to help people like Elba who has advanced dementia.
“Being here at all, it’s made all the difference in my mom’s care, the consistency and care, the kinds of care that she gets. You know, even with the spiritual support that we get, she gets visited by a Eucharistic sister, and she’s able to receive the sacraments,” said Carrillo.
On Monday, Auxiliary Bishop Raymond Chappetto blessed the new unit which is the second of its kind at the Queens facility. The first, Carmel hall opened in February and was designed with Montessori principles which focuses on participation rather than instruction.
“It’s not that they’re aging backwards, but their memories are. So they’re reminiscing from way back when, and they can’t do things for themselves as much as they can,” said the assistant director of nursing, Christine Pomijalski.
The colorful artwork in the halls is meant to transport residents to places that are familiar.
“It gives the residents something to remember that they live by and something to go and see and talk about. It’s not just words and walking. It’s giving them a purpose,” said Sister Philip Ann Bowden, the administrator.
Dawn knows it will make her mother’s stay more restful.
“The aesthetic is so important to people with dementia.and what will happen is it looks so much less institutionalized and a lot more like home. So there is some semblance of allowing them to feel more at ease and more at home,” said Carrillo.
The residents will move in later this week. Staff will have a short turn around as they work to complete their third memory care unit which they hope to finish by January.