The Piper, a center for people who have Alzheimer’s and dementia, recently opened at 2300 N. 113th Terrace in Kansas City, Kan.
The center is built on a “Household Model,” according to a spokesman for the center. Residents live in private apartments surrounded by their belongings, and each apartment has its own kitchen, living area and bathroom.
The apartments open to a larger household, similar in size and features of a family home for up to 20 members, including an open kitchen, dining room, living room, den and four-season room, according to the developers. The “home within a home” experience allows residents to have a degree of independence along with a supportive environment.
The Piper has six independent households, each with 20 private apartments. It is near 113th Terrace and Parallel Parkway, near The Legends Outlets.
The “Household Model” was developed by Action Pact and is now being brought to Kansas City, Kan.
“At Action Pact, we have assisted organizations throughout the U.S. to do away with institutional environments and practices, and to create spaces that results in each resident having the home life they want,” said Steve Shields, CEO of Action Pact. “We have built The Piper in Kansas City with these same principles. We have shaped The Piper Promise and expect to be held accountable to it: Live your life. Do what you want, in your own time, in your own way. There’s no reason to give that up. Ever.”
Residents can continue to direct their own lives as they always have, but with the support that they currently need, according to the spokesman. They have a household to invite friends and family over. They decide on when and what to eat with 24/7 access to the kitchen and the support of a household cook.
The Piper was developed and built by Assisted Living Associates, a partnership between PAR Development, Clarkson Construction Company and Action Pact, a Manhattan, Kan., based company specializing in senior living.
Shields and LaVrene Norton pioneered, refined and popularized the concept of creating households.
For more information, call The Piper at 913-400-7006, or visit the website at http://www.thepiperlife.com.
