The Lantern at Morning Pointe Alzheimer’s Center of Excellence in Powell, Tennessee, celebrated its official grand opening celebration on Thursday.
A group of residents, associates, community leaders and supporters gathered at the campus, located at 7710 Dannaher Drive on the Tennova Healthcare campus. This is the ninth Morning Pointe community built in East Tennessee by the regional senior living company headquartered in Ooltewah, Tennessee. Founded in 1997 by healthcare entrepreneurs Greg A. Vital and Franklin Farrow, Morning Pointe Senior Living develops, owns, and operates 37 Morning Pointe assisted living, personal care and Alzheimer’s Center of Excellence communities in five southeastern states.
The formal dedication ceremony began with local dignitaries from the Knox County area speaking, including Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs, members of the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce and representatives from Alzheimer’s Tennessee. The Bearden Singers choir from Bearden High School performed the opening and closing songs, and the Karns High School Air Force JROTC led out in a flag ceremony and the pledge of allegiance.
“Thanks for providing jobs for our community and the opportunity for folks who are suffering from Alzheimer’s to stay in our community,” said Jacobs. “This is a place where patients, residents have a good life. They are safe and comfortable. Thank you for providing peace of mind to families.”
Dino Cartwright, son of one of The Lantern’s residents, shared his heartfelt testimony of his family’s experience. His parents moved into Morning Pointe of Powell in 2018. At the time, the assisted living facility had a dedicated memory care wing called The Lantern.
“It was a hard day for me, but I knew it was the best day for them,” he said. “I knew they were going to be safe for the best quality of life for the rest of their days. I went to many facilities, and no one touched the excellence and checked every box but The Lantern at Morning Pointe. I was in media for 26 years; we did the stories. No one else can hold to their caliber of excellence and quality and Christianity and respect for you and the resident.”
The Lantern at Morning Pointe of Powell Executive Director Jennifer Ricker recognized her team of associates who will serve residents and their families in the months and years to come, and Food Service Director Amanda Bryant prepared a beautiful display of heavy hors d’oeuvres for guests to enjoy. A ribbon cutting capped off the dedication ceremony, and the community was officially declared open.
In addition to Ricker and Bryant, the leadership team at The Lantern includes Linda Knight, director of nursing; Courtney Huff, business office manager; Zoey Bowman, life enrichment director; Edward Beilstein, maintenance director; and Kay Lorick, community relations director.
The Lantern is 33,000 square feet and consists of 44 suites created specifically to meet the needs of residents with Alzheimer’s, dementia and other memory care needs. It is the second phase of the state-of-the-art Morning Pointe of Powell senior living campus, which is now capable of providing specialized assisted living and memory care for over 120 seniors.
The Lantern maintains a strong focus on clinical care with innovative therapies. The community is certified in the Best Friends™ approach and practices Teepa Snow’s Positive Approach® to Care, as well as Morning Pointe’s Meaningful Day™ program. This purposeful, structured programming ensures the highest quality of care for residents and helps them feel safe and secure.
Morning Pointe has a corporate memory care director on staff to serve as an ongoing resource for Lantern memory care families and for associate training.
Beautiful, secure courtyards showcase walking paths, sitting areas and gathering spots for residents to enjoy the outdoors. Physical and occupational therapies, medication management, life enrichment and wellness programming, as well intergenerational activities, round out the wide array of healthcare services offered. In addition, all residents enjoy local, seasonal Farm-to-Table fresh food and ingredients tailored specifically for residents living with Alzheimer’s and other forms of memory loss.
“I was so pleased with the grand opening celebration, the support from the Powell community and our health care partners in the greater Knoxville area,” said Vital, president of Morning Pointe Senior Living. “It was a beautiful day to celebrate a tremendous occasion, and we look forward to providing the best in memory care in the Powell community and across East Tennessee for years to come.”
For more information or to inquire about move-ins, please call The Lantern at Morning Pointe Alzheimer’s Center of Excellence Powell at 865-343-0089.
Morning Pointe is East Tennessee’s choice for assisted living and memory care, serving seniors since 1997. In addition to Powell, Morning Pointe operates assisted living and memory care communities in Knoxville, Clinton, Lenoir City, Hardin Valley and Greeneville. Morning Pointe Senior Living owns and operates 37 senior communities in five southeastern states. The company is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2022.
