Home-Like Comfort: Why Smaller Assisted Living Is Finest for Memory Care

Business Name: BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living & Memory Care
Address: 6919 Camp Bullis Rd, San Antonio, TX 78256
Phone: (210) 874-5996

BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living & Memory Care

We are a small, 16 bed, assisted living home. We are committed to helping our residents thrive in a caring, happy environment.

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6919 Camp Bullis Rd, San Antonio, TX 78256
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Monday thru Saturday: 9:00am to 5:00pm
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Families seldom start their search for memory care with floor plans and staffing ratios. They start with a feeling: worry, regret, fatigue, and the unpleasant worry that no community will ever care for their loved one the method family does.

After twenty years working in senior care, much of it concentrated on dementia care and assisted living, I have watched that fear soften when households stroll into a smaller sized, home-like setting. They notice staff greeting residents by name without glancing at a chart. They hear a genuine kitchen timer, not a remote overhead page. They see a resident helping fold towels at the dining table, not drifting alone in a corridor.

The physical area matters, however the scale matters more. Smaller sized assisted living and memory care environments usually make it easier to deliver the type of care that people with dementia really require: familiar, calm, relational, and flexible.

This is not a universal guideline. Big communities can work well for particular elders, and little homes can be badly run. However when we focus specifically on memory care and dementia care, the advantages of a smaller, home-like setting are striking.

What "smaller sized" truly implies in memory care

Families often ask: "What counts as little?" There is no magic number, and state guidelines vary, but in practice you see 3 broad models.

Traditional assisted living neighborhoods often have 60 to 150 homeowners, with a different guaranteed wing or flooring for memory care. Those memory care systems may house 20 to 40 people in a self included space.

Small assisted living or residential care homes generally serve 6 to 16 locals in a home that looks and feels like a single family home or a very small lodge. Staff exist around the clock, but the day-to-day rhythm leans closer to normal home life than to a medical facility.

Boutique memory care communities sit between these two worlds. They may have 30 to 60 citizens, but organized into numerous smaller sized "families" of 8 to 12 individuals each, with dedicated personnel and shared living areas.

For this conversation, "smaller" implies either true residential homes or family style memory care where life plays out on a scale you might recognize from your own home: one kitchen area, one dining room, a den, a yard, and a staff team that understands exactly who remains in the house at any offered time.

Why size and scale matter so much in dementia care

Dementia reshapes how an individual takes in the world. Sound feels louder. Options feel more complicated. Strangers feel more threatening. The individual might not remember your name, but they sense whether you feel rushed or relaxed, kind or annoyed.

In that context, the scale of the environment is not a design preference. It is a scientific factor.

In smaller settings, personnel can rely more on observation and relationship than on official documentation. I think of one resident, a previous instructor with moderate Alzheimer's, who might no longer inform you she was exhausted or nervous. In a 10 resident home, staff observed that she always started pacing about 20 minutes before lunch. They experimented: a small snack and 5 peaceful minutes on the deck cut the pacing in half. No unique program, no new medication, just consistent personnel who could see patterns because the environment was manageable.

In a bigger system with 30 citizens, that sort of information is much harder to catch. Personnel might do their finest, however they are covering more individuals topped more space, managing more tasks that are not genuinely about direct care.

For individuals with dementia, little scale brings 3 critical benefits: predictability, acknowledgment, and easier choices.

Predictability: regimens that in fact hold

Most memory care neighborhoods discuss routine. Yet routine does not merely suggest serving meals at basic hours. It also implies predictable faces, voices, smells, and activity levels.

In a small assisted living home, the early morning may unfold with the very same 2 or three staff members helping everyone wake, dress, and begin the day. The smell of coffee and toast fills the whole house. Residents see each other moving the common spaces. Even if they can not describe the regular, they feel its rhythm.

In a large community, daily life includes more shifts. Morning personnel might work one hallway, then relocate to another. Housekeeping, dining services, activities personnel, medication assistants, and nurses move in and out. The resident's door may open for five or 6 various people before lunch. For a healthy adult, that is regular. For someone with dementia, it can be disorienting.

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Consistent regimen in a small area does not simply feel much better. It reduces confusion, wandering, and behavioral expressions like agitation or recurring questioning, all of which can spiral into avoidable hospitalization or early nursing home placement.

Recognition: relationships instead of surveillance

Good dementia care is not about creative security functions, it has to do with individuals noticing early signs of trouble.

In a little home, personnel quickly learn each resident's natural baseline. They know who hums while they consume, who constantly presses peas to the side of the plate, senior care who prefers 2 cups of coffee. When something shifts, even slightly, it is obvious.

I recall a quiet gentleman with vascular dementia who resided in a 12 bed home. One early morning, the overnight caregiver mentioned that he had not finished his usual late night treat and appeared slower on his feet at 6 a.m. By 9 a.m., the day staff and the nurse had looked at him twice. Due to the fact that everybody knew that this was unusual for him, they called his doctor and caught a urinary system infection early, before it triggered considerable delirium.

Had he was among thirty residents, covered by 2 or three personnel across a broader flooring, that subtle modification may have gone unnoticed for a day or 2. The result would likely have been a trip to the health center, possibly a fall, and a steep decline.

Smaller settings do not remove threat, but they make it much easier to practice proactive, relationship based senior care.

Simpler choices, less cognitive overload

Imagine being dropped in the middle of a hotel lobby with three dining establishment choices, elevators in two directions, people going through, and music playing. If you are healthy, you can filter the noise, scan the signs, and choose. If you have dementia, that exact same environment can feel like chaos.

In a small assisted living home, there is usually just one primary living-room, one dining location, and a little number of bedrooms along a couple of short corridors. It is extremely hard to get genuinely lost. Citizens do not have to parse choices at every step.

This matters not just for safety however for dignity. When you streamline the environment, you offer the individual more usable independence. They can discover the bathroom without assistance, walk to the dining table without cues, and navigate to the patio by themselves. Autonomy in small minutes maintains identity, specifically as dementia advances.

Why home-like convenience is more than décor

Families sometimes over concentrate on appearance. They fall for a memory care unit that has a beautiful lobby, high ceilings, and collaborated furniture, then feel uneasy in a smaller sized house with older cabinets and a simple backyard.

A home-like environment is not about designer surfaces. It is about sensory hints that match lifelong experience: a genuine front door, a kitchen area at the heart of the area, a dining table that feels like it could host a household meal, a sofa where you can set up your feet without sensation you have actually broken a rule.

People with dementia keep psychological memory far longer than factual memory. They might not remember what they had for breakfast, but they remember what "home" seems like. When the environment sends out home-like signals, you see subtle shifts: shoulders relax, conversation comes more easily, and resistance to standard care often softens.

The most efficient small memory care homes I have worked with share a couple of aspects:

A central kitchen that residents can see, odor, and in some cases securely participate in. Hearing dishes clink and smelling food cooking assists orient time of day. Personal items and familiar mess put attentively, not removed away for a "hotel" look. A stack of folded towels on a chair can invite a previous homemaker to help in such a way that feels natural. Flexible seating areas where 2 or 3 individuals can talk, not just one big activity area. People with dementia typically do better in little clusters than in big groups. Access to the outdoors that feels safe but not prison like. A fenced garden or patio with comfy chairs encourages natural movement and sunshine exposure.

These functions can exist in larger neighborhoods too, but they end up being more powerful in smaller numbers, where each person truly populates the space rather than going to a shared facility.

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Staffing: the surprise power of smaller teams

Families generally inquire about staffing ratios early. Numbers matter, but in memory care, how staff are deployed matters more than easy math.

In big assisted living and memory care neighborhoods, staff roles tend to be more segmented. One group manages individual care, another does activities, another concentrates on housekeeping, another on medications. This can develop efficiency and clear responsibility, however it likewise motivates a task oriented culture.

In a little assisted living home, caretakers wear more than one hat. A caretaker may aid with a shower at 8:30, run a small card game at 10:00, chop veggies alongside a resident before lunch, then sit outdoors with two residents in the afternoon. That does not indicate they lack professional training; it suggests their work is incorporated into the circulation of everyday life.

When a caretaker spends the entire day in the very same shared area, with the exact same group of citizens, subtle changes are impossible to neglect. The relationship deepens in both instructions. Citizens feel more comfortable expressing needs. Staff can personalize care without a meeting to "hand off" the plan.

The trade off is that little homes should employ carefully and support those staff well. A single challenging character can have more effect in a 10 resident home than in a 60 resident structure. Strong management, reasonable scheduling, regular training in dementia care, and appropriate back up for illness or emergency situations all become critical.

From a practical perspective, numerous smaller sized homes maintain staffing ratios that look comparable or a little better than big communities, however the experience is various. 8 residents with one caregiver and a med tech present in a single open space feels extremely various from eight homeowners scattered throughout 2 wings with staff continuously pulled to respond to system large alarms.

When bigger neighborhoods still make sense

Smaller, home-like assisted living is not constantly the best fit. Some senior citizens, even with early dementia, really choose a larger environment with more facilities: fitness rooms, numerous dining venues, a full calendar of events, and opportunities to connect with a broad mix of people.

A retired executive used to travel and big groups may feel stifled in a 10 resident home. A couple where only one partner has cognitive impairment might do better in a larger assisted living community that uses both basic assisted living and a secured memory care alternative, so they can stay on the exact same campus.

Medical needs can likewise tilt the balance. Very complicated physical care, ventilators, or heavy 2 person transfers might press a person toward a competent nursing facility, despite memory care requirements. Some little homes manage higher acuity effectively, others do not. Families need to ask concrete concerns about what the home can and can not manage.

Location, cost, and schedule also matter. In dense metropolitan areas, residential style homes might be uncommon or priced at a premium. Some families focus on proximity over setting, selecting a bigger neighborhood 5 minutes from home instead of a perfect small home 45 minutes away. That choice can still be smart, due to the fact that family existence is itself an effective type of care.

The key is recognizing that "larger" does not instantly equal "better services" for dementia, and that "smaller sized" does not instantly mean "less expert."

Respite care as a low risk trial

For households on the fence, respite care offers a beneficial happy medium. Respite care indicates a brief stay, often 7 to 1 month, in an assisted living or memory care setting, with the very same services long term residents receive.

In small memory care homes, respite stays allow both sides to discover. The household can observe whether their loved one settles more easily, consumes better, or engages more when they are in a calm, home-like environment. Personnel can see whether they can securely meet the person's needs within the limitations of the house.

One daughter I dealt with was determined that her mother required a big neighborhood with multiple activity choices, considering that her mother had actually constantly been social. The very first placement was a 40 resident memory system. After three weeks, her mother was overwhelmed, not growing. We set up a two week respite remain in a 12 resident home. The distinction amazed everyone. With less choices and quieter environments, her mother really participated more, not less, in daily life.

Respite care in a smaller setting does need preparation. Space is restricted, so there might be a waitlist. Prices can differ: some homes charge a day-to-day respite rate that is a little greater than the basic month-to-month expense, to represent the short term nature of the stay. Insurance protection is irregular, so families usually pay of pocket.

Still, for many caretakers approaching burnout, even a short period of respite care in a small, nurturing environment can be life altering. It gives them time to rest and recharge while testing whether that particular setting is the ideal long term fit.

What to search for when visiting smaller memory care homes

Families often tell me they feel more relaxed the minute they walk into a really home-like assisted living or dementia care home, however they are not sure how to evaluate quality beyond that instinct.

Here are focused concerns and observations that assist:

Watch how personnel interact in vulnerable minutes. Do they use citizens' names, make eye contact, and speak at a calm rate, or do they sound rushed and task focused? Ask who cooks and where. If meals are delivered from an offsite cooking area or a central facility, the home might lose some of the sensory benefit of cooking smells and flexible mealtimes. Look at how personal the bed rooms feel. Are homeowners motivated to bring furnishings, images, and familiar bed linen, or does every space appearance staged and identical? Ask particular dementia care questions. How do they handle nighttime wandering? What is their method to a resident who declines a shower? Listen for individual centered answers instead of stringent rules. Find out how they handle medical changes. Do they work closely with visiting physicians, home health, or hospice services? How frequently do they send out locals to the emergency situation room?

You do not require a medical background to notice whether the answers come from genuine experience or from a pamphlet. Staff who have actually operated in little, home-like settings for years will tell stories, not simply policies. They will remember real locals and how they adjusted care plans over time.

The psychological effect on families

Families often underestimate just how much environment affects them, not just their loved one. Big assisted living structures can feel frightening to visit. Parking garages, reception desks, long hallways, check in kiosks, and a consistent circulation of complete strangers can sap energy before you even reach the room.

In a smaller home, you normally park in a driveway or on the street, walk up to a front door, and step straight into the living space. Gradually, many households begin to deal with visits more like visiting a relative's home than getting in a center. They might bring a bag of groceries to prepare a preferred dish or sit with a group on the outdoor patio, rather than staging formal "checking out hours."

This shift matters. Caretaker regret hardly ever disappears, however it softens when you can see and feel that your loved one belongs to a real family. Brother or sisters who utilized to argue constantly about care choices often discover it much easier to comply when the setting feels warm and transparent.

I have seen adult kids reach a point where they say, without practiced justification, "This feels like home for Dad." That declaration brings massive weight. It normally appears when they see personnel joking with their father, when they discover another resident sharing a regular with him, or when they walk in unannounced and discover him taking a snooze quietly in a familiar chair.

Balancing heart and head in the final decision

Choosing memory care is both a logistical problem and a deeply personal choice. It includes senior care policies, budgets, medical requirements, geographical realities, and household dynamics.

Smaller, home-like assisted living and memory care neighborhoods tend to line up more naturally with what individuals with dementia in fact need: consistent relationships, a manageable sensory load, simple regimens, and opportunities genuine participation in every day life. They support proactive, relational dementia care instead of reactive crisis management. They frequently make respite care more efficient by providing a mild environment where both resident and caretaker can exhale.

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Yet the "right" option is rarely perfect on every axis. The very best little home might be simply out of monetary reach, or situated across town. The large community with an outstanding reputation might feel a little institutional but use unequaled medical support.

The most beneficial method is to weigh environment as a core factor, not an afterthought. Ask not just, "Can they fulfill my mother's care requirements?" But likewise, "Can she feel safe and understood in this space?" Image her morning regimen there. Photo her on a difficult day. Picture yourself strolling through the door after work, seeing the space, smelling the air, hearing the sounds.

If your shoulders drop and your breath steadies when you picture that, you are likely on the ideal track. For numerous households facing dementia, that sense of home-like comfort is discovered more quickly, and more reliably, in smaller sized assisted living settings built around the scale of a real home.

BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living has license number of 307787
BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living is located at 6919 Camp Bullis Road, San Antonio, TX 78256
BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living has capacity of 16 residents
BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living offers private rooms
BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living includes private bathrooms with ADA-compliant showers
BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living provides 24/7 caregiver support
BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living provides medication management
BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living serves home-cooked meals daily
BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living offers housekeeping services
BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living offers laundry services
BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living provides life-enrichment activities
BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living is described as a homelike residential environment
BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living supports seniors seeking independence
BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living accommodates residents with early memory-loss needs
BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living does not use a locked-facility memory-care model
BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living partners with Senior Care Associates for veteran benefit assistance
BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living provides a calming and consistent environment
BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living serves the communities of Crownridge, Leon Springs, Fair Oaks Ranch, Dominion, Boerne, Helotes, Shavano Park, and Stone Oak
BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living is described by families as feeling like home
BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living offers all-inclusive pricing with no hidden fees
BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living has a phone number of (210) 874-5996
BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living has an address of 6919 Camp Bullis Rd, San Antonio, TX 78256
BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living has a website https://beehivehomes.com/locations/san-antonio/
BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living has Google Maps listing https://maps.app.goo.gl/YBAZ5KBQHmGznG5E6
BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living has Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/sweethoneybees
BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living has Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sweethoneybees19
BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living won Top Assisted Living Homes 2025
BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living earned Best Customer Service Award 2024
BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living placed 1st for Senior Living Communities 2025

People Also Ask about BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living


What is BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living monthly room rate?

Our monthly rate depends on the level of care your loved one needs. We begin by meeting with each prospective resident and their family to ensure we’re a good fit. If we believe we can meet their needs, our nurse completes a full head-to-toe assessment and develops a personalized care plan. The current monthly rate for room, meals, and basic care is $5,900. For those needing a higher level of care, including memory support, the monthly rate is $6,500. There are no hidden costs or surprise fees. What you see is what you pay.


Can residents stay in BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living until the end of their life?

Usually yes. There are exceptions such as when there are safety issues with the resident or they need 24 hour skilled nursing services.


Does BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living have a nurse on staff?

Yes. Our nurse is on-site as often as is needed and is available 24/7.


BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living & Memory Care has license number of 307787
BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living & Memory Care is located at 6919 Camp Bullis Road, San Antonio, TX 78256
BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living & Memory Care has capacity of 16 residents
BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living & Memory Care offers private rooms
BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living & Memory Care includes private bathrooms with ADA-compliant showers
BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living & Memory Care provides 24/7 caregiver support
BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living & Memory Care provides medication management
BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living & Memory Care serves home-cooked meals daily
BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living & Memory Care offers housekeeping services
BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living & Memory Care offers laundry services
BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living & Memory Care provides life-enrichment activities
BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living & Memory Care is described as a homelike residential environment
BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living & Memory Care supports seniors seeking independence
BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living & Memory Care accommodates residents with early memory-loss needs
BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living & Memory Care does not use a locked-facility memory-care model
BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living & Memory Care partners with Senior Care Associates for veteran benefit assistance
BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living & Memory Care provides a calming and consistent environment
BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living & Memory Care serves the communities of Crownridge, Leon Springs, Fair Oaks Ranch, Dominion, Boerne, Helotes, Shavano Park, and Stone Oak
BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living & Memory Care is described by families as feeling like home
BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living & Memory Care offers all-inclusive pricing with no hidden fees
BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living & Memory Care has a phone number of (210) 874-5996
BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living & Memory Care has an address of 6919 Camp Bullis Rd, San Antonio, TX 78256
BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living & Memory Care has a website https://beehivehomes.com/locations/san-antonio/
BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living & Memory Care has Google Maps listing https://maps.app.goo.gl/YBAZ5KBQHmGznG5E6
BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living & Memory Care has Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/sweethoneybees
BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living & Memory Care has Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sweethoneybees19
BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living & Memory Care won Top Assisted Living Homes 2025
BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living & Memory Care earned Best Customer Service Award 2024
BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living & Memory Care placed 1st for Senior Living Communities 2025

People Also Ask about BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living & Memory Care


What is BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living & Memory Care monthly room rate?

Our monthly rate depends on the level of care your loved one needs. We begin by meeting with each prospective resident and their family to ensure we’re a good fit. If we believe we can meet their needs, our nurse completes a full head-to-toe assessment and develops a personalized care plan. The current monthly rate for room, meals, and basic care is $5,900. For those needing a higher level of care, including memory support, the monthly rate is $6,500. There are no hidden costs or surprise fees. What you see is what you pay.


Can residents stay in BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living & Memory Care until the end of their life?

Usually yes. There are exceptions such as when there are safety issues with the resident or they need 24 hour skilled nursing services.


Does BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living & Memory Care have a nurse on staff?

Yes. Our nurse is on-site as often as is needed and is available 24/7.


What are BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living & Memory Care visiting hours?

Normal visiting hours are from 10am to 7pm. These hours can be adjusted to accommodate the needs of our residents and their immediate families.


Do we have couple’s rooms available?

At BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living & Memory Care, all of our rooms are only licensed for single occupancy but we are able to offer adjacent rooms for couples when available. Please call to inquire about availability.


What is the State Long-term Care Ombudsman Program?

A long-term care ombudsman helps residents of a nursing facility and residents of an assisted living facility resolve complaints. Help provided by an ombudsman is confidential and free of charge. To speak with an ombudsman, a person may call the local Area Agency on Aging of Bexar County at 1-210-362-5236 or Statewide at the toll-free number 1-800-252-2412. You can also visit online at https://apps.hhs.texas.gov/news_info/ombudsman.


Are all residents from San Antonio?

BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living & Memory Care provides options for aging seniors and peace of mind for their families in the San Antonio area and its neighboring cities and towns. Our senior care home is located in the beautiful Texas Hill Country community of Crownridge in Northwest San Antonio, offering caring, comfortable and convenient assisted living solutions for the area. Residents come from a variety of locales in and around San Antonio, including those interested in Leon Springs Assisted Living, Fair Oaks Ranch Assisted Living, Helotes Assisted Living, Shavano Park Assisted Living, The Dominion Assisted Living, Boerne Assisted Living, and Stone Oaks Assisted Living.


Where is BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living & Memory Care located?

BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living & Memory Care is conveniently located at 6919 Camp Bullis Rd, San Antonio, TX 78256. You can easily find directions on Google Maps or call at (210) 874-5996 Monday through Sunday 9am to 5pm.


How can I contact BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living & Memory Care?


You can contact BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living & Memory Care by phone at: (210) 874-5996, visit their website at https://beehivehomes.com/locations/san-antonio/,or connect on social media via Facebook or Instagram

Take a scenic drive to Historic Market Square El Mercado only about 29 minutes away from our BeeHive Homes of Crownridge Assisted Living & Memory Care