2
Memory care homes in CA for people with developmental disabilities
50000
People with a developmental disability over the age of 40 in California
-37
Decrease in vendors from 2010 to 2016 providing services to people with developmental disabilities
More than 350,000 people in California have a developmental disability and, as a population, they are dealing with issues related to aging for the first time. Why for the first time? Life expectancy for people with Down syndrome has increased dramatically in recent decades – from 25 in 1983 to 60+ today.
The current housing choices for people with developmental disabilities who are dealing with Alzheimer’s are not much of a choice at all. While the average age of admittance to a nursing home is 79, adults with developmental disabilities in need of aging and dementia care tend to be in their 50s and require a higher staff to resident ratio along with specialized care. The US Department of Health and Human Services released a study that found that one-quarter of assisted living communities had one Personal Care Assistant ratio for each 23 or more residents.
To address the growing need, in 2017, Noah Homes opened two 5,000 sq. ft. homes for 20 people with developmental disabilities who were diagnosed with aging issues, Alzheimer’s, or another related dementia. Most homes under Noah Homes management have a staff to resident ratio of approximately 1:4 and 1:6. The Memory Care Homes, now affectionately known as Casa de Amor and Casa de Lauridsen, have a staff to resident ratio of 1:2 and include state-of-the-art technology, access to national research, and opportunities for residents to participate in groundbreaking new techniques to fight Alzheimer’s, dementia, and other aging struggles.
Residents are selected based on an interest list of adults with developmental disabilities receiving services through the San Diego Regional Center. We are hopeful that these homes will be replicated by other organizations throughout California and across the nation, alleviating some of the burdens of the 15.5 million caregivers who provided an estimated 17.7 billion hours of unpaid care, valued at more than $220 billion.
