The Lantern at Morning Pointe Alzheimer’s Center of Excellence, Chattanooga—the second Morning Pointe Senior Living building destroyed in the Easter 2020 tornado—continues to make great progress in completely rebuilding its state-of-the-art memory care community located at 7620 Shallowford Road. It will officially open its doors to residents in July.
“As we prepare to reopen this Alzheimer’s Center of Excellence community, I am humbled by the commitment of so many, from construction crews to associates, to get to this point in our
rebuilding process,” said Greg A. Vital, president of Morning Pointe Senior Living. “This reopening completes Morning Pointe’s return to the East Brainerd community after the devastating tornado, where we are committed to transforming the lives of those living with Alzheimer’s and other dementias. Between the rebuilt physical plant and extensive life enrichment programs, there is really nothing in the region like it.”
Executive Director Alisha Landes, who led the building team through the tornado, will once again lead The Lantern team of associates who are trained in specialized memory care programming. Ms. Landes is a recent recipient of the Teepa Snow Positive Approach to Care certification that will bolster her associates’ experience in serving persons living with Alzheimer’s and dementia. When it reopens to residents, The Lantern building will offer:
- Meaningful Day purposeful programming with multiple levels of memory care:
Lamplight for residents living with early to moderate stages of Alzheimer's disease;
Lantern for those living with late to moderately severe stages of Alzheimer's
- ‘Calming room’ to help soothe residents
- Updated additions to interactive life skills stations
- Farm-to-Table fresh dining program
- Apartments with access to a safe and secure courtyard
“It is truly an honor to be stepping back into the executive director role here at The Lantern. I left
my heart in this building just over one year ago when we were devastated by the tornado, but
God had a grand plan for me to be back and I am beyond excited to welcome both new faces and
some familiar ones, too!” said Ms. Landes.
A grand reopening celebration date will be announced soon for late July. Amy French, senior
manager of programs and education for the Alzheimer’s Association, is excited about The
Lantern’s return to East Brainerd, saying, “It’s so refreshing to see more options in the
community for those who are in need of dementia care. Not only are facilities such as these
custom-designed to meet the needs of the individual residents and families, they serve the
community-at-large through education and support opportunities where all are welcome.”
The Lantern’s sister community, Morning Pointe of Chattanooga at Shallowford assisted living,
reopened in late 2020 after rebuilding from the tornado and celebrated its grand ribbon-cutting in
April 2021. In total, both the Alzheimer’s Center of Excellence and the assisted living
community have been completely rebuilt in under 15 months.
Morning Pointe recently launched a monthly virtual caregiver support group geared toward those
caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s. The group meets on the last Thursday of each month
via Zoom at https://morningpointe.info/3ff0m2w. The Lantern at Morning Pointe Alzheimer’s
Center of Excellence, Chattanooga is one of 7 area Morning Pointe Senior Living communities
in the Tennessee Valley. Additional area campuses are located in Chattanooga, Collegedale, East
Hamilton, Hixson and Athens. For more information, visit morningpointe.com.