WATSONVILLE — The newest wing at Montecito Manor in Watsonville features plenty of bright, open spaces, its own dining room and a fenced-in outdoor area set up for family visits.
The Montecito Manor Memory Care Unit was designed specifically for patients suffering from dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
“We opened this because there is such a need for Alzheimer’s and dementia care in our area,” said Montecito Manor Director of Operations Jolene Sicley.
The memory unit boasts eight, double-occupancy rooms with shared bathrooms between them.
A pair of shower and bathing facilities allow for staff assistance with day-to-day functions.
The day room offers a television, along with several games and activities designed to give Alzheimer’s patients the tactile stimulation many of them need, said Activities Director Isabelle Ballesteros.
This includes simple puzzles and other “fidget” items, she said.
“It’s a different type of activity we have to prepare for,” Ballesteros said.
A house physician is always on call and visits several times per week, which is a plus for patients reluctant to leave for off-site doctor’s offices, Sicley said.
Perhaps the most important part of the new facility, however, is the high staff-to-patient ratio, essential when caring for people with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
The unit is the first of its kind in Watsonville, Sicley said, who co-owns Montecito Manor with her mother Sharon Scagliotti.
The pair took over the building from Watsonville Residential Care, and has run Montecito Manor for 10 years.
“I love to come to work,” Sicley said. “You feel like you’re doing a good thing for the community. This is my calling.”
The memory unit recently cleared its state and city permitting procedures after a two-year restoration of the space, which formerly served as a storage area.
The unit opens Aug. 16, and four patients are currently waiting to move in.
Now an assisted living facility for seniors, Montecito Manor is located in the old Watsonville Hospital on Brewington Avenue.
The place is so steeped in Watsonville history that some residents say they were born there.
•••
The Montecito Manor Memory Care Unit currently has openings for new patients. For information, call Jolene or Amanda at 724-3055.
