Oakwood Creative Care and The Perfect Place Partner in Alzheimer’s Treatment

Rose Saunders

Oakwood Creative Care and The Perfect Place announced the merger of their organizations. The merger brings together two of the most prominent Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) care facilities in the Valley. Both are nonprofits—Oakwood has two centers in Mesa, while The Perfect Place is in Sun Lakes. The new partnership will remain in The Perfect Place’s facility in Sun Lakes while they combine efforts to provide interactive, positive care for members.

The merger is not Oakwood’s first involvement in the Sun Lakes community, as Oakwood CEO Sherri Friend worked collaboratively to put together social service organizations in the Southeast Valley to create a Memory Café and a music therapy program for the Sun Lakes community. From the relationships built from this coalition, The Perfect Place Executive Director Dr. Rose Saunders recognized the value of collaboration and approached Sherri Friend about combining efforts in order to enhance the services being offered through The Perfect Place.

“This merger is something that we’ve been working on for some time now, and to see it come to fruition is one of the best moments of my career,” said Oakwood CEO Sherri Friend. “The Perfect Place has long shared our desire to bring a new and innovative approach to cognitive care, so we knew that this partnership would be a successful one.”

Arizona is poised to have the fastest growth rate of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementia (ADRD) in the U.S. by 2025. Oakwood Creative Care recognizes how vastly important it is to modify, grow, and remain a viable, cost-effective, and community-based solution supportive of seniors with cognitive and physical impairments. Research finds those who are in a supportive and aesthetically pleasing homelike environment demonstrate a 50% increase in engagement, plus a slower rate of deterioration in everyday activities such as personal care, ambulation, eating, etc.

“Oakwood has been providing some of the best adult day services and dementia care in the Valley for years, and we are grateful to bring in their expertise to enhance our care in the community of Sun Lakes,” said Dr. Saunders.

About Oakwood: Oakwood Creative Care began as Sirrine Adult Day Health Services in 1975 with a dream of a nonprofit that would provide an alternative to costly in-home and institutional care. They wanted to create something that would allow seniors to remain in their homes while staying connected to the community as their healthcare needs were being met. In 2013 the organization’s name changed to Oakwood Creative Care, but the mission stayed the same. To learn more about Oakwood, visit www.oakwoodcreativecare.org.