Opening Soon: The Lantern at Morning Pointe of East Hamilton to Welcome Residents

The Lantern at Morning Pointe of East Hamilton will be opening this year in Ooltewah. Located at 1775 Generations Way off East Brainerd Road, this premier memory care community will provide state-of-the-art amenities to residents with dementia. The single-level building will feature 60 memory care apartments and a dedicated staff of skilled caregivers and medical professionals who will ensure that each resident benefits from personalized and purposeful support.

As an Alzheimer’s Center of Excellence, Morning Pointe continues to be the only senior living community in Hamilton County that offers two levels of care – Lamplight, for early stages, and Lantern, for later stages. By offering stage-appropriate care all under one roof, The Lantern at Morning Pointe of East Hamilton provides residents with a comfortable and familiar environment and makes transitioning to the Lantern program a smooth process.

“People that have brain disease of any level like a certain familiarity and structure. When you have to go outside of that and seek care in a different location or to move, it is very disruptive for the person, and it can take a while for them to recover. So, it’s wonderful to have an option where you don’t have to move your loved one. They are at home and they stay at home, it’s just in a different area of the home,” says Beth Jan­ney, RN, corporate director of memory care at Morning Pointe Senior Living.

Like all Morning Pointe locations, The Lantern at Morning Pointe of East Hamilton will adhere to a strong focus on clinical care with physical and occupational therapies and wellness offerings. Daily enrichment programming will include exercise and physical activity; creative, nurturing, and sensory programs; activities to engage the body, mind, and spirit; lifelong learning and cognitive programs; intergenerational programming with local schools and colleges; live entertainment; and more. The new location will also feature Morning Pointe’s Farm to Table program, which provides seniors with local, farm-fresh, and seasonal ingredients.

Whether your mother has received a recent diagnosis and begun struggling with scheduling or your spouse has recently transitioned to more advanced dementia and needs assistance with everyday tasks, The Lantern at Morning Pointe of East Hamilton can provide a safe and supportive environment tailored to their needs.

Founded in 1997 by healthcare entrepreneurs Greg A. Vital and J. Franklin Farrow, Morning Pointe Senior Living operates assisted living and Alzheimer’s memory care communities in five southeastern states. In the greater Chattanooga area, Morning Pointe operates assisted living and memory care communities in Chattanooga, Collegedale, East Hamilton, Hixson, Athens, and Calhoun.

Two Levels of Care

Lamplight

The Lamplight program is for early to moderate stages of memory loss and offers seniors a secure, home-like environment with plenty of space to walk around. Residents maintain their independence with minimal assistance and enjoy daily programming.

“It’s a very lively area,” describes Janney. “We always have many activities going on. Morning Pointe offers what we call Meaningful Day. People that have dementia have difficulty planning out their day, so we do it for them. We plan out activities based on their cognitive ability and their individual likes and dislikes, so it’s very individualized and very active.”

Individuals in early to moderate stages of decline may exhibit:

• Memory loss: forgetting names, appointments, or recent events
• Behavioral changes: anxiety, mild confusion, or difficulty concentrating
• Independence: retains some independence but may need assistance with complex tasks
• Communication: some challenges finding the right words or following conversations

Lantern

The Lantern program is for more advanced stages and includes assistance with daily tasks and a structured routine. Residents begin their day with exercise and a cognitive activity, followed by a quieter activity to lead into mealtime. After lunch, residents will often rest, which Janney notes can help ease symptoms of agitation or confusion. This is followed by a group game in the afternoon, such as chair volleyball or bowling, or individual activities based on ability and interest. The day ends with a calm transition to dinner and then bedtime.

“As a person’s brain disease progresses, that large environment with that much stimulation is overwhelming for people that are farther along in their brain disease, and they need a smaller environment. It’s easier for them to navigate and they’re free to walk around, like walking around the living room in their home. We offer the same activities, but the activities are more gauged for people that are farther along in their brain disease,” says Janney.

Individuals in latter stages of decline may exhibit:

• Memory loss: difficulty recognizing family or familiar places
• Behavioral changes: agitation, apathy, or other shifts in behavior
• Independence: needs assistance with daily tasks, including personal hygiene and accessibility to eating (stage appropriate foods, prompting, etc.)
• Communication: limited communication abilities, including using few words or non-verbal cues