Continuing care AWARE grant recipient

By Kim Lehman

CC Young Senior Living, a non-profit Continuing Care Retirement Community with a long history of excellence, announced it is the recipient of a grant from AWARE Dallas to further provide premier care to its residents living with Alzheimer’s. 

Alzheimer’s is a brain disease that affects memory, thinking and behavior, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows as many as 5.8 million Americans were living with the disease in 2020, and the CDC classifies it as the seventh-leading cause of death in the United States. 

“Caring for individuals affected by Alzheimer’s requires specialized training and specific care plans tailored to the needs of each person,” said Mindy Hail, vice president, development for CC Young Senior Living. “To be among the select few AWARE Dallas grant recipients is an honor. This generous funding will directly enhance CC Young’s training and the care we provide to all our long-term care residents living with this disease.”  

CC Young will use the funds for dementia-centered training and specialized programs to support the various needs of its residents. Recognizing that engagement and socialization are key to stimulating the brain and providing a sense of normal structure and order to the lives of people living with memory loss, CC Young trains its memory support staff to identify individual activities that bring them joy and purpose. For example, CC Young Life Enrichment Director Rickina McKinley noticed a resident was not participating in activities until she invited him to play the piano for her. He now actively performs concerts on campus, entertaining and bringing joy to other residents and staff. For other residents, engagement may be participating in CC Young’s specialized therapies, which include art, music and pet therapy.  

“Our residents living with dementia hold a very special place in our hearts,” said McKinley. “We work diligently and passionately to help each person acclimate to their new home, help them make friends, become engaged in the community, and adapt our services as needed. Our staff is always looking for current programming and learning new techniques to handle unique situations. This additional funding is a tremendous gift that will help us continue to enhance our mission to provide the best care possible for these residents.”

“For more than 100 years, CC Young has invested in our residents by evolving our services and program offerings to meet their daily living and healthcare needs,” said Russell Crews, president and CEO of CC Young. “This generous grant from AWARE will help us continue our efforts in bettering the lives of the residents on our campus.”

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