Harbor House Assisted Living in Oyster Bay, NY, stands out because it's fully focused on caring for people with Alzheimer's disease and other memory disorders, and it was the first residence on Long Island like that, and they went and built three floors, each one set up for different stages of dementia, which helps match care and activities to each person's needs, so you've got nurses and personal care aides who know memory care really well, there's even a strict 8:1 aide-to-resident ratio on each floor, along with a wellness team, and you don't see that everywhere. The building's three stories have their own care teams and amenities, plus a design that uses an open, circular floor plan, so residents can walk safely and move about freely, with over half the place filled with common areas for relaxing, activities, or just wandering, and that really encourages socializing and keeps folks from feeling boxed in, which matters a lot for memory care.
Staff members provide help with bathing, dressing, and medications, and there's daily housekeeping, laundry, and linen services, along with maintenance, so residents don't have to worry about chores, and families can feel confident things are tidy. Everyone coming in gets a full assessment, then gets a personalized care plan, and staff keeps up with ongoing quarterly cognitive checks and medical reviews, so changes get noticed early, and that matters for staying healthy. There's a nurse available 24 hours a day and another part-time, plus access to board-certified doctors covering everything from cardiology, neurology, and endocrinology to audiology, podiatry, psychiatry, and more, and they offer on-site X-rays, lab tests, EKGs, and echocardiograms, so a lot of care gets handled right on site, and that cuts down on trips out for appointments, though general transportation is available when needed. The pharmacy and medication management service makes it easy to keep prescriptions up-to-date, and they coordinate appointments if outside visits become necessary.
Residents get three meals a day, cooked on site, with special diets available, and there's family-style dining rooms to make things social, plus a 24-hour gourmet food service in case someone wants a snack late at night, and all rooms provide 50-channel cable television and Wi-Fi, which is handy for keeping in touch with family. The choice between private or shared studio rooms, all of which come furnished, is there depending on what someone needs or prefers. Safety's built in with an emergency call system in every room.
What's really nice is how Harbor House puts a big focus on keeping folks active, engaged, and feeling at home, and they run a calendar full of therapeutic recreation-things like music and art therapy, gardening, games, hobbies, adaptive sports, as well as more unique activities like equine therapy, clown therapy, and pet therapy, and you'll often see residents out on the gardens or enjoying a sun porch, with trips and holiday events throughout the year. There's also weekly religious services and an on-site beauty parlor and barbershop, plus three private family rooms for visits. Residents can join in all sorts of social, educational, and entertainment programs, with inside amenities like arts and crafts, music activities, and outside recreation areas including a patio and gardens. All floors have staff specifically trained for memory disorders, and the building's set up to support secure walking and wandering, so people can feel free but still safe.
Harbor House makes a point to keep residents' dignity and independence at the center of care, working closely with families, providing case management, help with pre-admission paperwork, and guidance for finding alternate placements if care needs change, and there's a special Respite Care program for short stays, too. By focusing fully on memory care, using well-trained teams and lots of activity options, Harbor House tries to make things more comfortable and homelike for residents, whatever their stage of memory loss.
