San Francisco Towers begins construction on Memory Care neighborhood

On March 12^th, 2021, San Francisco Towers celebrated the next step in constructing a long awaited memory care neighborhood for the community. As residents and visitors watched via Zoom, representatives from the Towers, Covia, the Covia Foundation, and Rockwood Construction gathered in the main lounge for a virtual ground breaking ceremony.

“It means a lot to be able to see all the hands and hearts that have been working to make this vision a reality,” said Executive Director Christina Spence as she introduced the project team, a collaborative effort including residents, staff, and specialists.

San Francisco Towers resident Richard “Dick” Wilmington reflected on “nearly a decade” working towards a memory care neighborhood. “The long history reflects the struggle with both state and local regulations, and with the restrictive realities of dealing with the conversion of a fully utilized existing space,” he explained. Wilmington’s spouse, Bob, struggled with aphasia and memory loss and ultimately spent his final year at a different community with a dedicated program for those with cognitive impairments that helped his spouse “avoid those three terrible ‘A’s’ often suffered by those with these conditions: anxiety, agitation, and anger.”

San Francisco Towers Memory Care Unit will be located on the second level of the building in the East Tower Mezzanine. With 10 single units and two double units, the neighborhood will include a common area with dining, sun room, study, and tub/spa center. Construction is expected to be completed by spring of 2022 and the neighborhood will be open after review and approval by California’s Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD). OSHPD has already approved the plans for this neighborhood as well as the memory care neighborhood at other Covia communities.

“I think back to our very first memory care neighborhood at Los Gatos Meadows,” said Katharine Miller, Executive Director of the Covia Foundation. “It is called Maggie’s Place because a long term resident at Los Gatos really, really cared about the fact that she had neighbors and friends that needed a memory care neighborhood. When Maggie King passed away, she left her entire estate to the Foundation to build out our very first memory care neighborhood. I wanted to say thank you to all the people that have cared about their loved ones, their neighbors and their friends to make our memory care neighborhoods happen.”

“It’s been a long time to get here,” said Christina Spence, “so we wanted to take a moment and celebrate the good, celebrate that we’re here in this moment. This project would never be moving forward if it weren’t for all the support that we’ve received from our partners.”

As the Reverend Wilmington concluded, “So here we are. Now we have begun…we can make this a peaceful and comfortable community in honor of those lost personalities we loved.”

If you would like to learn more about San Francisco Towers please call 415.447.5527 or use the contact us form here.