With the warm spring weather, construction is heating up on the site of Morning Pointe Senior Living’s latest project in the Knoxville area: The Lantern at Morning Pointe Alzheimer’s Center of Excellence, Hardin Valley.
The frame is going up on the new building, Phase II of the Morning Pointe of Hardin Valley campus. It is located at 2433 Reagan Road, down the road from Pellissippi State Community College and between Oak Ridge and West Knoxville.
The Lantern is expected to open late this year. Upon completion of The Lantern, Phase II of the campus, the original building will transition to assisted living only. Together, the campus will offer an expanded continuum of care for seniors with varying needs, adding early dementia care to the mix.
Earlier Memory Care
A secure, single-level building, The Lantern at Morning Pointe Alzheimer’s Center of Excellence, Hardin Valley will offer 60 memory care apartments. It will encompass two levels of care under one roof – a larger and more open Lamplight wing for early stages of Alzheimer’s and other dementias, and a more intimate, quiet Lantern wing for more advanced stages. Residents can engage at a level of activity and care that provides the right amount of mental stimulation without being either underchallenged or overwhelmed. Care staff will be specially trained on the different stages of Alzheimer’s and dementia and how to care for each resident’s needs with compassion and comfort.
“Residents and families have responded very positively to this two-level type of memory care community at our Lantern community in Knoxville on Westland Drive,” said Greg A. Vital, Morning Pointe Senior Living co-founder and president. “As Alzheimer’s and dementia becomes more prevalent, being able to offer earlier care and intervention can be beneficial. The resident and their family receive that earlier support and are already familiar with the caregivers and environment as the disease progresses. Getting established in a community earlier can help relieve some of the stress and provide the family with more resources.”
Memory care programming at the new community will include the Best Friends™ Approach, Teepa Snow’s Positive Approach™ to Care, Meaningful Day™ purposeful programming, music therapy, art therapy, and cuddle therapy. There will also be a strong focus on clinical care with physical and occupational therapies, life enrichment and wellness offerings and intergenerational activities. In addition, residents will benefit from Morning Pointe’s Farm to Table program with local, farm-fresh and seasonal ingredients.
More About the Community
The Lantern at Morning Pointe Alzheimer’s Center of Excellence, Hardin Valley will be the 40th Morning Pointe Senior Living community and the 24th in Tennessee.
Founded in 1997, Morning Pointe Senior Living operates assisted living, personal care and Alzheimer’s memory care communities in five southeastern states: Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, Alabama and Indiana. Other local Morning Pointe campuses are located in Knoxville, Clinton, Powell and Lenoir City.
The philanthropic arm of Morning Pointe Senior Living is the Morning Pointe Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that works to provide clinical scholarships and caregiver support.
