Coterie and CaringKind: An Innovative Memory Care Alliance

To put this belief into action – and create a memory care environment based on research, empathy, and expertise – Coterie has aligned itself with CaringKind, New York City’s premier organization for Alzheimer’s and dementia caregiving. For over 40 years, CaringKind has been at the forefront of Alzheimer’s and dementia care, enhancing the quality of life for individuals with dementia, offering comprehensive support for family members, and supporting Alzheimer’s research centers and other advocacy groups.

“Coterie prioritizes research-driven strategies to enhance our memory care services,” says Sarah Laloyan, Senior Vice President of Coterie Luxury Senior Living. “And that’s why we’re proud to work with CaringKind, which has decades of experience in this field.”

The combined dementia care expertise of Coterie and CaringKind, paired with Coterie’s industry-leading track record in luxury senior living, have established our state-of-the-art memory care neighborhood in Hudson Yards as the vanguard in luxury senior memory care.

“At CaringKind, we share Coterie’s belief that it’s important for caregivers to see the whole person, not just the disease of dementia,” says CaringKind President and CEO Eleonora Tornatore-Mikesh.

This holistic view of memory care guides Coterie and CaringKind to incorporate features that cater to the cognitive and emotional health of residents. Every aspect of memory care programming, from exercise routines to social activities to dining experiences, offers highly personalized, best-in-class care so that residents can make the most of every moment. A specially designed circadian lighting system helps mitigate the effect dementia can have on sleep patterns, while brightly colored tableware helps keep residents focused on their meals.

The collaboration also takes a proactive approach to safety and emotional health. Coterie’s secure, custom-designed spaces allow residents to move around independently. Each resident’s door is marked by an individualized memory box containing personal photos and mementos to help residents locate their home. Coterie and CaringKind have carried out a thorough review of residences and neighborhood spaces to minimize objects and design features that might be a hazard or cause undue stress to residents.

CaringKind offers ongoing support for Coterie’s memory care services in three ways:

• Training – CaringKind provides specialized training for Coterie’s caregivers, emphasizing the unique and complex ways that dementia impacts each resident.
  
  

  “The foundation training is important because it lets us educate everyone on the same dementia care practices and strategies,” says Tornatore-Mikesh. “So whether a staff member is working in the kitchen or at the front desk, they’ve received the same level of training.”

  Each Coterie employee receives 16 hours of caregiving and additional dementia training. The training modules feature microlearning scenarios that offer short, practical exercises on how to handle the difficulties of dementia. Video vignettes cover topics like how to calm an anxious or agitated resident and how to help them with activities of daily life like showering or eating.

• Family Support – CaringKind offers residents’ families access to its full range of coaching and counseling resources, including dementia and Alzheimer’s support groups and workshops. In addition to helping family members navigate the challenges of caring for someone with dementia, these resources also teach effective methods for coping and self-care.


• Memory Care Assessment – CaringKind and Coterie collaborate closely to provide comprehensive, nuanced assessments of cognitive function for current and potential residents. This helps determine the level of care each resident requires, as well as gauge potential risks or problematic health or behavioral trends.



Currently, Coterie and CaringKind are developing a new collaborative program called Partnering Together, which will provide extra support for individuals transitioning into memory care neighborhoods and their families. CaringKind will also be involved in training and design at future Coterie luxury senior living locations.

“It’s been so exciting for us to collaborate with Coterie because they’re so far ahead of the game when it comes to memory care,” Tornatore-Mikesh says. “I really believe in the work we’re doing together, and hopefully the success we’ve had can be shared and emulated to help as many families as possible.”

Coterie operates a portfolio of luxury senior living communities spanning the East and West Coasts. Please note that the services, collaborations, and amenities mentioned in this article may vary by location.