Construction starts on Alzheimer's unit

News herald photo by LESTER MURRAY Country Place Village yesterday broke ground on its new 12-bed Memory Care addition. On hand to help with the festivities were (left to right) Lynne Cross, marketing director; Mike Coston, president of the Kilgore Chamber of Commerce; Jeff Howell, Kilgore city manager; Kenneth Plunk, Citizens Bank; Mayor Joe T. Parker; Brian Clarke, owner of Country Place Village; Rhonda Kennedy, nurse/manager; Jan Edwards, administrator; and Bobbye McAvoy, Country Place administrative assistant. Country Place Village, Kilgore's Independent and Assisted Living Residence, celebrated the ground breaking for their new 12-bed Memory Care addition yesterday.

The Memory Caree addition will be a secure unit for those with Dementia and Alzheimer's, offering 24-hour professional staffing and including planned social activities as well as the regular amenities of CPV - three home-style meals daily, housekeeping and laundry. The new addition will feature a large living area with fireplace, a large dining area, a covered porchwith rocking chairs, and a fenced outdoor area. It will also include a spa equipped with a shower cabinet with a built in system which facilitates the transfer of residents in and out of the cabinet and also includes a lift hygiene chair.

Brian Clarke, owner of Country Place Village, is originally from Houston where he was president and CEO of a medical company that specialized in providing IV therapy, customizing pediatric and senior rehabilitation equipment and providing multi-use healthcare aids to aging seniors.

Because of this experience, he saw how fast the elderly population was growing and how their long-term needs had changed over the last 20 years. Clarke sold his medical company in 1999 and decided in 2001 to develop Country Place Village Assisted Living center here. He has since expanded to include a new senior retirement community in Tyler, called the Hamptons at Greenridge which offers independent living and will later include an assisted living residence with an Alzheimer's wing.

Due to the need for facilities that provide care for people with Dementia and Alzheimer's, Clarke decided to expand Country Place Village to meet this need for the community of Rilgore and the surrounding area.

There will be limited space available in the Memory Care addition which should be completed by midsummer. Country Place Village is currently accepting deposits so you can call now to reserve a place.