That sense of hominess served as inspiration for the new facility, which is expected to be completed during the third quarter of 2020. Unlike many other such facilities, which are designed to accommodate staff and equipment, Covina’s skilled nursing and memory care building is decidedly patient focused. That shows up in ways both big and small: Open, inviting floor plans featuring enormous windows letting in plenty of natural light. Interactive 65-inch touch-screen monitors in common areas, loaded with software designed for those experiencing memory loss. Private showers in patients’ rooms. Low-profile nursing stations that enable those in wheelchairs to converse more easily with staff.

The skilled-nursing and memory-care complex have been years in the making—a response to a growing demand on campus. At the same time as Covina’s new program is set to open, the Masonic Homes’ Union City campus is preparing for a new memory-care facility of its own.

When it opens, the new Covina building will include space for up to 32 people, with 12 private suites and two semiprivate rooms on each of the two floors. The first story is dedicated to residents dealing with Alzheimer’s, dementia, and other memory issues. Nursing stations are centrally located, offering medical staff easy access to all areas of the building. Each floor includes open dining areas and living rooms where residents can gather and socialize. The grounds feature a garden filled with flowers and plants intended to stimulate residents’ senses—an important form of treatment for those suffering cognitive decline.

Inside each suite, the level of care being provided is extensive—including staff on hand to help residents in and out of bed, as well as with bathing and physical, occupational, and speech rehabilitation. For those confined to their beds, staff will endeavor to bring the restaurant-style feel of the dining area to residents’ rooms.

Beyond the amenities, the building represents an opportunity to reunite families that in the past have been forced apart because of medical needs. Says Judy Figueroa, executive director of the Masonic Homes in Covina, “It was really hard to tell someone they had to leave and potentially separate from their spouse.” She recalls one resident who dutifully made the half-hour trip to a skilled-nursing facility in Ontario every day to visit his wife. Once the Covina complex is opened, “They can be reunited at the same location and see each other whenever they want,” she says.