Alzheimer’s Care Center

The Alzheimer’s Care Center (ACC) is a 30-bed assisted-living home for individuals diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or another type of dementia. Opened in 1988, it was the first in the country to be designed and staffed specifically to meet the special needs of individuals with dementia. The ACC is located in a private, wooded area on a tree-lined avenue with an attached adult day program which provides respite for caregivers and support for ACC residents to engage in a productive daily routine and community activities. Fellowship faculty members visit the ACC weekly and provide all acute and chronic clinical care for the individuals who reside at the ACC; fellows spend 3 to 4 one-month blocks rotating at the ACC seeing residents weekly with faculty.  This dementia care experience provides an exceptional educational opportunity for fellows, as many of the residents admitted to the ACC were previously evaluated in the geriatrics consultative clinic. As their needs increase, over 50% of ACC residents ultimately transition to Glenridge, our primary nursing home training site.  In addition to participating in high quality continuity and transitions of care, fellows are involved in proactive team-based care, partnering with caregivers and ACC staff in care planning and end-of-life care. They also support initiatives to reduce polypharmacy and adverse drug effects, falls, and other geriatric syndromes to improve quality of life for ACC residents.