The Elms sits right in downtown Westerly at 22 Elm Street and is actually a campus with three separate buildings, including a big old Victorian house with 70 independent living apartments and two cottage buildings that hold 55 dedicated memory care spaces, so you'll find people living there for independent, assisted, or memory care, plus you'll see a lot of services built for people with changing needs as they get older. Assisted living residents have support with things like bathing and dressing, and there's a full staff on duty 24/7 including RNs and LPNs, with medication care managers, plus the place has caregivers trained to help folks who need memory care, even those who wander or show harder behaviors, and the memory care area is completely secure and purpose-built, with safety tech like alarm bracelets and reminders to help keep everyone safe and comfortable.
The Elms is privately owned and family-run and has been around since 1985, having been expanded five times, always keeping the Victorian-style architecture and classic neighborhood feel. There's a bistro dining area for everyone and a professional chef making restaurant-style meals, with attention to special diets like gluten-free, vegan, or low sugar/salt, and there's a private dining room for special meals with guests. People can bring their own cats or dogs, with help for pet care, and guests are welcome at meal times, which is a nice touch. Every apartment and room is set up for cable TV and high-speed Wi-Fi, and residents have access to free internet everywhere in the building.
Activities are a big part of daily life, with a full-time activities director running everything from Tai Chi, yoga, water aerobics, art classes, brain fitness, and gardening, to book clubs, cooking clubs, game nights, trips, story time, trivia, wine tasting, even a resident musical group and Nintendo Wii bowling, plus offsite excursions, intergenerational programs, and devotional services of several faiths. You'll find both outdoor and indoor spaces to relax, like walking paths, an enclosed courtyard, raised beds for gardening, a library, a movie room, piano/organ, gym, spa, bar, pub/café, fireplaces in the common rooms, and several rec areas for games and crafts.
Most care needs are managed on-site, with transportation help, PT/OT services, and visiting nurses and hospice if needed; there's a security system throughout and every shower is wheelchair accessible. The Elms staff help with all sorts of daily tasks-medication, mobility, hygiene, laundry, cleaning, nutrition, and more-offering both light and medium care, and skilled nursing services are available with a nurse always on call. Financial help's available, too, including advice with VA benefits. The place doesn't charge extra for every little thing, since they've got an all-inclusive pricing structure. Residents who need memory care, even those with diabetes, mobility problems, or who are at risk of wandering or acting out, get custom care plans and access to therapies like reminiscence and light therapy.
With so many on-site and off-site activities, private and group dining, in-house religious services, haircuts, and support for both pets and daily chores, residents can keep their independence as much as possible, staying right there on campus as their needs change. The Elms has been there serving the area since 1985, always aiming for a supportive and dignified experience, where seniors can age in place in a safe and lively setting.
