The team at Lancashire Nursing and Rehabilitation Center and members from the Virginia Health Services corporate supporting team celebrated the opening of Rappahannock Memory Care Unit during a ribbon-cutting ceremony on March 5, 2025.
The secure unit has private and semi-private rooms that can accommodate 25 individuals with cognitive impairments such as dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. The renovated unit has a large common area for dining, activities and socializing near the nurses’ station. There also is a secured courtyard area, along with a family room and a multi-sensory Snoezelen room with calming music and lighting.
“We are excited to offer this service to the community,” Lancashire Administrator Amy Payne said during the event.
Amy, Virginia Health Services President and CEO Mark Klyczek, VHS Vice President of Operations Don Lundin, Lancashire Director of Nursing LaTasha Muse and Lancaster by the Bay Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Leslie Jingluski cut the ribbon to commemorate the official opening of the unit.
Lancashire, located in Kilmarnock, Virginia, is the only nursing community in the Northern Neck area to offer Memory Care to Medicaid-qualified individuals.
“This is a great resource for the community,” Mark said before the ribbon was cut. “We had the availability to make these changes and hopefully this becomes a great respite for families and for the people they’re caring for at home, especially when it gets difficult, to provide a very nice, safe, caring environment for those individuals. … There is a growing need (for this service) and we’re happy to fill that need and be the organization supporting the community.”
Lancashire, which is one of seven nursing and rehabilitation centers owned and operated by VHS, also offers skilled, long-term and respite care. Memory Care also is available at Walter Reed Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Gloucester County.
Making it happen
Upgraded locks, a call-bell system, fresh paint, wall hangings and refreshed flooring were included in the renovation at Lancashire to prepare the Rappahannock Unit for Memory Care.
In addition to opening the Memory Care unit, Lancashire underwent a lobby renovation and other upgrades that included new flooring, furniture, artwork, signage and paint.
There have been technological improvements as well. Residents with a qualifying assessment have WanderGuard, which is monitored at the nurses’ station to prevent unsafe behavior.
The entire Lancashire team — in every department including clinical, dietary, MDS, environmental services, housekeeping, maintenance and therapy — came together to make the unit operational.
The unit began accepting patients in December 2024.
“The team has been very good at acclimating to the changes,” Amy said. “… Everybody has just pulled together so well as a team.”
The Lancashire team underwent dementia-focused training, and Lancashire also is a member of the Stronger Memory Program, which is a grant-funded program under the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that works daily with 10 to 15 residents with cognitive impairments.
The Stronger Memory Program focuses on reading, writing and math to keep skills sharp, and there are daily activities in addition to the recreational programming Activity Director Tearsa Arntz oversees on the unit. Those are typically shorter programs — less than 30 minutes — offered several times a day that include utilizing life-skills stations, dexterity and tactile function, and music.
The kitchen area of the former therapy room on the unit remains and serves as one of several life stations for residents to connect with memories and impulses. Residents who may feel the need to bake, clean, or do laundry or dishes have an area to submerse themselves in those types of activities. Other life stations may include a nursery, gardening or fishing.
“Those life stations offer a way to let residents express their energy. You’re connecting with a part of their brain that makes them comfortable and allows them to live their best life,” Amy said.
Learn more
Lancashire’s Rappahannock Memory Care Unit is accepting new patients. Visit vahs.com/lancashire to learn more and submit an inquiry form. You also can keep up with its latest news and activities on its Facebook page.
