By Marie Fricker

Pat D., 82, a resident of The Atrium at Faxon Woods in Quincy, starts her morning with a healthy breakfast in the dining room of the assisted living community operated by Benchmark Senior Living. New England’s largest senior living provider, Benchmark has 32 communities throughout the Commonwealth, including The Atrium, which offers an award-winning program for people like Pat with memory impairment.
“We have an amazing chef, and everything is home-cooked and delicious,” said Pat, who is also president of the community’s resident council. She opts for cereal and fruit today in lieu of eggs or bacon for cholesterol concerns, but looks forward to fancier fare for dinner.
“I honestly haven’t had a single dish here I didn’t like,” said the octogenarian. “And I don’t ever have to worry about cooking or going food shopping.”
After a leisurely breakfast, Pat reviews The Atrium’s list of upcoming events. “Our roster of daily activities is always enticing,” she said. “We can tend the beautiful new spring gardens around our courtyard, walk the grounds, or take a community bus trip to Castle Island or Scituate and stop at Dunkin’ Donuts for coffee.”
“We have our own ‘movie theater’ with popcorn, and get to enjoy musicians, entertainers and holiday parties throughout the year,” she said. “I can do an exercise class, listen to a lecture or just enjoy some down time, and that’s fine, too. I love it here.”
Corinne LaPointe is the executive director of The Atrium, which is nestled high on a hill in a residential neighborhood across from Walmart and Faxon Park and includes distant views of Boston Harbor. The Atrium is the only community in Quincy dedicated exclusively to the unique needs of people with Alzheimer’s, dementia, and other types of memory loss.
“Our goal is to provide emotional support, encouragement and a sense of belonging for every resident as well as their family members,” said Lapointe, who has a master’s degree in speech language pathology and has worked as a clinician specializing in geriatrics, dementia, dysphagia, and progressive neurological disorders for more than 12 years. “I strive very hard to make every day better for our residents and to help their family members understand and navigate the dementia process. I believe they feel that their loved ones are in a secure community with round-the-clock personalized care if they need it.”
LaPointe, along with Bernadette Adams, director of community relations for The Atrium, works closely with families to design a living situation for their loved ones with the goal of helping each resident thrive regardless of their ability.
“Although we have 54 private studio apartments that feel like home, our residents are rarely in them because we offer so many group and individualized programs throughout the day in our spacious common areas,” said Adams, who is a certified dementia practitioner. “I enjoy working with our team to design a personalized care plan and programs for each resident, as well as with our many healthcare partners to provide supplementary, convenient on-site services.
“But the most rewarding part of my job is seeing residents happy and engaged and the relief on families faces knowing their loved ones are well cared for.”

For more information about The Atrium at Faxon Woods, a Benchmark Mind & Memory Care community, visit AtriumAtFaxonWoods.com or call 617-958-2880.