Josephine Dawson, executive director of Brookdale Nine Mile, an Alzheimer’s and dementia care facility in northwest Spokane, says her passion for her job stems from early experiences as a retirement home volunteer.

Dawson, 49, started volunteering as a teenager when her grandfather moved into a nursing home because she wanted to help him and other residents.

“Now I have 60 grandmas and grandpas,” Dawson says. “This is definitely my passion.”

Brookdale Nine Mile’s occupancy rate averages between 95 percent to full capacity during most years and is currently at full capacity. Though there are many variables, Dawson says patient care and housing costs can range from $4,000 to $8,000 a month.

She says Brookdale Nine Mile does have the ability to convert to Medicaid from private pay after a resident has been there at least two years.

The 46-unit dementia and memory care facility is located just off state Route 291—commonly called the Nine Mile Road—at 5329 W. Rifle Club Court.

In Spokane, Brookdale has a total of five facilities, which are owned by Brookdale Living Communities Inc., based in Brentwood, Tenn.

Brookdale says it serves more than 1,000 senior residential complexes in 47 states across the country with a total of 103,000 residents.

In the company’s 2016 annual report, Brookdale says its facilities have a total of 90 million square feet of living space. Brookdale says the company generated $5 billion in revenues last year.

Brookdale was founded in 1986, as the senior housing division of a Chicago-based real estate company. In 1997, the company completed a public offering and then went private in 2000. Since then, the company has merged with three other assisted living and memory care companies and acquired another, Brookdale’s website says.

Brookdale facilities include independent to assisted living, Alzheimer’s and dementia care, and rehabilitation and skilled nursing where round-the-clock nursing care is available for residents. Brookdale also offers a range of outpatient therapy, home health and hospice services, the website says.

In the Spokane area Brookdale Nine Mile is the only of the five facilities here that caters exclusively to residents suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, Dawson says.

Brookdale South Hill, located at 3708 E. 57th, is the only facility that doesn’t offer Alzheimer’s or memory care. Three other Brookdale facilities offer memory care to some residents while also offering independent and assisted living to residents, Dawson says.

“We’re the only one of the group of facilities that exclusively serves residents with Alzheimer’s or dementia. That’s all we do, from maintenance staff to kitchen staff, all 60 of our employees have been trained in how to help serve and care for people suffering from memory loss,” Dawson says.

The company’s other three complexes here are Brookdale North Spokane, at 1110 E. Westview Court; Brookdale Park Place, at 601 S. Park Road in Spokane Valley; and Brookdale South Regal, at 3117 E. Chaser Lane.

Brookdale Nine Mile, which opened in 1997, has at a total of 30,000 square feet of space, which doesn’t include the facility’s expansive enclosed courtyard.

The facility has a 24-hour security system, and each resident’s room is equipped for emergency response. Brookdale Nine Mile features its own library, café and bistro, arts and crafts studio, barbershop, and meeting rooms throughout.

Brookdale Nine Mile establishes clinical, dining, and program support for each of its residents. Residents have a structured routine of activities to help them maintain their abilities, and they’re encouraged to use their skills, Dawson says.

“What I think makes us a strong facility is the fact that everyone has been trained in the area of memory loss,” she says. “If you’re working here, then you’ve made a conscious decision to serve people who are affected by Alzheimer’s and dementia.”

Dawson, who started her career as a caregiver, was hired as receptionist at Brookdale Nine Mile, moved into the finance department and was named executive director three years ago. 

“There’s a certain sadness we experience working with our residents because you can see their fear and frustration about what it is they’re experiencing,” Dawson says.

“And that gets back to our training. You have to be patient and really good at listening,” she says.

Staff members are also trained in how to assist and support the family members and other loved ones, of Brookdale’s residents.

“It such a hard disease for everyone to have to cope with. You see a lot of guilt, and anger, and there’s often just a general lack of understanding about memory loss,” Dawson says.

Anecdotally, through the years, Dawson says it’s been her observation that it’s usually a daughter, or daughter-in-law, that emerges as the person to coordinate care and placement of suffering family members.

“They shoulder a lot of that burden, however, recently I’ve seen a lot of men, sons, stepping in and into those roles,” she says.

Dawson says she encourages people to arrange their personal care and legal affairs when they’re young in preparation for their later years.

“When you’re 30, 40, you’re not thinking of living here,” she says. “And more often than not, when it happens, no one is prepared for it.”