Abe's Garden memory care center fundraising for Belle Meade expansion
A Nashville nonprofit senior living community announced a $20 million campaign Thursday to expand rooms and services.
Abe's Garden Community , which specializes in dementia care, held a news conference at its Belle Meade site to reveal plans to add 38,000 square feet to the building, increasing assisted living and memory care suites from 130 to nearly 170 apartments.
A new Music Therapy Lab, a highlight of the expansion, will offer moving screenings, performances and streamed shows to entertain residents. It also will aid in groundbreaking research into how music affects the mood and behavior of those living with Alzheimer's.
The center is funding the expansion through its $20 million "Let's Grow Together" campaign, with its officials announcing Thursday they have already raised $16.5 million toward their goal.
Mike Shmerling co-founded the center in 2015 after his father, Abram C. "Abe" Shmerling was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and the family found a gap in the availability of quality care.
Abe's Garden Community collaborated with Vanderbilt University Medical Center to develop standardized protocols for assessing residents and training staff, becoming a national and global model for senior communities.
"We are deeply excited about the opportunities these advancements will make both within and outside of our walls to further elevate the standard of senior living and leading innovation in memory care," Mike Shmerling said Monday.
The center's person-directed engagement model has been replicated by 22 memory care communities nationally. Research shows that for dementia patients the model leads to a 42% decrease in anxiety symptoms, a 41% decrease in depression symptoms and a 32% decrease in neuropsychiatric symptoms, center officials said.
To learn more about the center, call 615-997-3030 or go to its website.
Beth Warren covers health care and can be reached at
