The need for dementia care, programming, services, outreach, and resources has never been greater. Right now, more than 25,000 individuals in the Lehigh Valley are living with dementia-related illnesses. A near doubling of the senior population could result in approximately 50,000 people living with dementia in the Lehigh Valley by 2030.
With decades of experience, Morningstar Living has become a trusted provider of dementia care programs and resources for the Lehigh Valley region. Morningstar Living is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization that develops, owns, and operates two life plan communities in Nazareth, Pennsylvania. Life plan communities blend residential living with a plan for future care that makes it possible for residents to transition from independent living to assisted living, memory care, or skilled nursing, without leaving the community.
In 2004, Morningstar Living constructed a state-of-the-art memory care facility, called Galilee House, at its’ Moravian Hall Square campus in Nazareth, PA. Galilee House is built to resemble a “household” that includes indoor and outdoor spaces for socialization, recreation, and activities. Residents have a private room but live with the familiar rooms in a home that includes a kitchen, dining room, living room, laundry room, outdoor garden, and patio area…even a hair salon.
Galilee House at Moravian Hall Square is a home-like environment that transforms memory care into a familiar, nurturing space. From calming color palettes to familiar furnishings, every detail was chosen to reduce over-stimulation and promote sociability. Caregivers in Galilee House are specially trained to handle agitation, wandering, aggression, and confusion with calm and compassion. It’s a place where residents feel safe, seen, heard, and valued…not just cared for.
In 2012, Morningstar Living launched an outreach initiative called, “Memory Lane” to provide education, information, and resources to people who are providing care for individuals who are affected by dementia. Through expert-led sessions, practical resources, and open discussion, caregivers and other professionals learn how to understand, support, and care for individuals living with dementia. These seminars blend medical knowledge with practical strategies and emotional insight. Topics include understanding the types of dementia, communication techniques for connecting with someone who has dementia, dealing with behavioral challenges, and more.
Morningstar Living also facilitates a number of Memory Support Groupsfor caregivers and family members who are taking care of a loved one who has dementia. These small group sessions offer caregivers an opportunity to share challenges, exchange ideas and create strategies with other caregivers in similar situations. Morningstar Living’s professional group facilitators are trained by the Alzheimer’s Association. Support Group Meetings are held on the first Wednesday of each month from
10 AM – 11:30 AM at the Moravian Hall Square campus located at 175 W. North St. in Nazareth, PA.
In July 2020, during the heat of the summer and the Covid-19 pandemic, Morningstar Living opened a memory café. Memory cafés originated in the Netherlands in 1997, and the concept quickly spread throughout Europe, and then to the United States in 2008. Memory cafés were created to combat the stigma surrounding dementia by providing a safe and welcoming place for socialization and support…both for the person who has memory issues, and the caregiver who provides the care and oversight.
It took approximately eighteen months for Morningstar Living’s vision for a memory café to become reality. Funding was secured from the Morningstar Living Foundation to purchase equipment, office supplies, food, and beverages for meetings; and to develop advertising and marketing to raise awareness, spread the word, and spark participation. The Advent Moravian Church (centrally located in Bethlehem, PA) provides the meeting space for these gatherings as part of its outreach mission. Morningstar Living team members do the essential program and activities planning for each café meeting. And meetings are facilitated by professionals certified as Dementia Specialists and trained volunteers from the community.
The Morningstar Memory Café is open the 2nd and 4th Thursday of each month from 10 AM – 12 Noon at the Advent Moravian Church located at 3730 Jacksonville Road in Bethlehem, PA.
Now in its fifth year of existence, the Memory Café continues to thrive. On-going financial support for dementia programming, including the Morningstar Memory Café, is provided through annual fundraising initiatives sponsored by the Morningstar Living Foundation. One annual fundraising event that occurs at Morningstar Living’s Moravian Hall Square campus each year is the Morningstar Rock-A-Thon. The Rock-A-Thon is a fun event that unites Morningstar Living residents and their family members, Morningstar Living team members, and volunteers who sit and rock (literally) in rocking chairs…all day. It’s part endurance challenge, part community celebration, and all about uniting people around Building a Dementia-Friendly Future.
Morningstar Living’s long track record in dementia programming reflects its unwavering commitment to improving lives and empowering caregivers.