What: A development for seniors with memory issues such as Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
Where: 2305 N.E. 129th St., Vancouver.
Cost: $8.5 million.
Developer: Koelsch Senior Communities, Olympia.
Opening: Fall 2013.
On the Web: Koelsch Senior Communities
Construction is well under way on a new memory care center set to open in the Salmon Creek area this fall near where Interstates 5 and 205 meet.
Olympia-based Koelsch Senior Communities is developing the $8.5 million, 43-unit facility, called The Hampton at Salmon Creek.
The company will operate the center, designed for seniors with memory issues such as Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
Demographics and a survey of Clark County residents helped determine the area’s demand for senior living with memory care services, say project developers. According to 2013 figures released by the Alzheimer’s Association, more than 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s, a number estimated to reach 7.1 million by 2025, as baby boomers age.
In 2013, Alzheimer’s will cost the nation $203 billion, including $142 billion in costs to Medicare and Medicaid. The number is expected to rise to $1.2 trillion by 2050, according to the association.
Koelsch Senior Communities appears well-positioned to profit from the memory care industry. The Salmon Creek complex will be the 21st senior living facility owned by the family business, which was established in 1958 by Kelso nursing home owners Emmett and Alice Koelsch.
Fourteen of its facilities are devoted to memory care, according to a list of centers on the website for Koelsch.
The company operates centers in Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, Texas and Washington, where the Hampton at Salmon Creek will be its eighth complex.
Developers say the new center will include 25 semi-private and 18 private rooms and will be built with extra-wide hallways and secure interior courtyards to provide a calming environment. Care will include 24-hour, on-site, licensed nurses and a comprehensive diabetic-management program.
