The Goodman Group, which manages Cypress Palms—an assisted living community in Largo, Florida—celebrated the grand reopening of Pearl Essence®, a memory-care environment designed exclusively for women residents. The multi-million dollar renovation project took about six months to complete. The grand opening took place on May 8.
The renovation of Pearl Essence®, which first opened in 2009, adds 15 custom-designed Alzheimer’s and dementia care apartments (bringing the total to 27), along with refurbished interiors, expanded lobby and lounge areas, a redesigned kitchen and dining area, and a new sun porch. The upgraded interiors feature stimulating artwork and sky murals created by local artist Fran Clanton, while simulated windows and porches in the corridors help engage the visual senses of the residents by bringing the sense of outdoors inside.
Why women only? Due to the increasing lack of mental capacity that comes with Alzheimer’s and dementia, many family members feel more comfortable having their female loved ones—a lot of whom still have husbands—reside in an all-women environment, according to sales and marketing associate Lindsey Edwards.
Pearl Essence is located on the first floor of Cypress Palms, which has offered “enhanced” assisted living since 1996 within the 95-acre Palms of Largo campus—a master-planned, intergenerational community in Pinellas County that offers housing, programs, and services for people of all ages. Cypress Palms also has a 15-unit co-ed memory care wing, called Sand Pearl, in addition to—but separate from—Pearl Essence.
The Goodman Group, headquartered in Minneapolis, develops and manages residential, health-care, and senior living communities and other commercial properties.
