The Courtyards Senior Living is honoring the life of their late pet, Cole, in the recent adoption of Sarah through the H.A.L.T. (Humans and Animals Learning Together) program. “Sarah’s Social” event will take place at The Courtyards Knoxville location, 801 E. Inskip Drive Knoxville, TN 37912 at 5:30 PM, Thursday, August 9th.
 
Cole Courtyards passed away in April after thirteen years of loyal companionship to everyone at The Courtyards. After his passing, the Elders of the community missed Cole’s unique spirit, and they came to a decision to honor Cole’s memory in the best way possible: rescuing another dog. It takes a very special kind of dog to fit well into an assisted living community. When the H.A.L.T. program approached The Courtyards with Sarah, they knew it was going to be a great fit. H.A.L.T adopts rescue dogs from Young Williams Animal Center and partners them with adolescent handlers that give them specialized training. This partnership allows the adolescents to teach the dogs basic obedience, while the animals teach the adolescents teamwork, self-respect, patience, and understanding.
 
Before her permanent adoption, Sarah spent a few days visiting The Courtyards to ensure that she would be the perfect addition to the community. However, it took only a matter of hours before it became obvious to the Elders that Sarah was going to be the next Courtyards pet. Sarah will continue Cole's role of supporting many great causes, like the Young Williams Animal Center and Alzheimer's Tennessee. The greater Knoxville community reached out in many ways to help say goodbye to Cole after many years of service, and The Courtyards is now extremely excited to invite the community to celebrate in welcoming Sarah to her new home.

For more information about Sarah's Social please call Laura Copeland at 423-202-1737 or visit our FaceBook page at: ​https://www.facebook.com/courtyardseniorliving/posts/2599191553440083

We found Cole on the Young Williams Animal Center website while doing research for a grant. Cole was the perfect dog for our community. It usually takes a few tries when finding the perfect pet for an assisted living facility, but we were lucky. Cole was the perfect addition to Courtyards from the beginning, and it was like he had always been here.

Cole was everyone’s dog. He answered to any name he was called. He gave space to those he knew weren’t warming up to him, though more often than not Cole would win over each elder’s heart. Cole’s demeanor was so agreeable that he even met people who never wanted pets and changed their minds.

Our original plan was that Cole would not be allowed on the elder’s beds, yet that battle was lost when his people would begin calling out for him to join them every night. One resident with an early bedtime would summon Cole onto her bed every night. She insisted she couldn’t sleep without him. Cole would willingly oblige until she fell asleep before leaving, ensuring her comfort every evening.

Cole never barked. However, one night the staff heard him barking in a resident’s room. When they went to check on him they found him sitting with an elder who had fallen on her way to the bathroom. When the staff checked on her she was unhurt, but Cole still refused to leave her side the entire night.
 
An elder that had never previously let Cole in her room allowed him to join her the night she died. Cole lay beside her bed and stayed with her until the time came. On a different occasion, another elder’s family was coming to say their goodbyes to their passing mother. Cole escorted the elder’s daughter from the front door of the building to her mom’s room in an act of solidarity and support. Cole lay on the floor with his head on the daughter’s feet until her mother had passed. Cole always seemed to know exactly how to comfort people.

Cole’s life was extraordinary. He had his own Facebook page—“Cole Courtyards”—where he would post about his adventures, stories about Young Williams Animal Center, Alzheimer’s TN, and his favorite dog, Snoopy. He has been featured in the newspaper and been the subject of more than one TV news story. The yearly Spaghetti Supper fundraiser for Alzheimer’s TN was a success due simply to the number of people who came to see him. He has friends in the media, local government, and throughout the community. He has loved so many of us over the years.  He never met a stranger. 

Cole loved when kids would visit.  He enjoyed running after cats and squirrels.  He would play ball with you and then suddenly stop, look at you like you were crazy, and go lay in the shade. He also had a “godmother” who came to visit him faithfully over the years, taking him for rides in her truck, stopping for ice cream with him, and paying his vet bills.
 
When Cole arrived, we initially tried to give him a crate as an escape away from all the people coming in and out of the facility. Cole was terrified by the prospect. His favorite spot was with his favorite blue pillow under his head, looking almost human.

There was an administrator determined to keep Cole off the furniture, so he humored her. He knew by the sound of her car coming into the parking lot that it was time for him to get off the couch and go lay in his bed. When she came in the door, he would lay there and look at her, wagging his tail. You could almost hear him laughing at her. It was a game they both enjoyed.

Cole entered the Mascot contest at the Knoxville Alzheimer’s Walk for the first time in 2011 and won by raising over $400. Over the next several years the contest became increasingly competitive, and pets running for mascot raised thousands of dollars. However, Cole’s presence never faded: Cole raised over $5000 in a single year and won his last Mascot title in 2017.

Cole lived to love his people and they loved him right back. So many people will miss him, but we were all so blessed to have been among the ones he loved. He embodied all the qualities we desire in creating a different kind of assisted living. Cole was more than a dog, he was a true member of the Courtyards community. Cole was special and his impact will not be forgotten.

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If you would like to honor Cole, please join us at Cole's Celebration of Life on June 12th from 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM at Courtyards Senior Living, 801 East Inskip Drive in Knoxville. Feel free to drop by at anytime. A short service will be held at 6:00 PM.
RSVPs may be directed to Laura Copeland at (423)202-1737 or laura@coutyardseniorliving.com
​https://www.facebook.com/courtyardseniorliving/posts/2447772211915352

Making the decision to move your loved one into an assisted living facility is not one that is made lightly. You still remember your loved one from when you were growing up, and all the memories of everything they did for you come running back into your mind. Guilt may also set in. But, with us, we are not a nursing home. We are a second home. A home away from home. A community where you can feel better knowing your loved one is cared for by the best and surrounded by knowledgeable and experienced caregivers who are here to help put quality back into their life.

Stop By and See Us Today!
When thinking about moving your loved one from their home into an assisted living facility, it is actually better for your loved one that the move happens when they are still healthy and, for the most part, independent. This allows your loved one to become better familiar with their new surroundings and their new home. They can go and explore around our facility, meet the people within their small community, etc. Plus, this way, they become accustomed to their new home so that if they ever do fall ill, they will be comfortable and trusting of the facility and their caregivers because they have been able to know them on a more personal level. And vice versa: our caregivers will have been able to learn all about your loved one and will know what they like, dislike, etc., in order to better care for them.
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And remember, even though they are calling us their new home, it does not mean that you are left in the dark on things. You are still very much involved and play a vital role in the care of your loved one. With us, everyone is a part of a team—a team of people who want to give your loved one back their quality of life and start having fun again no matter what their age!

At The Courtyards Senior Living, we want our home to feel like your loved one's home. Our sense of community and variety of activities will help your loved on to remain active, while also feeling safe and secure. Come visit us today for a tour of our facility!

The secret is out! Aging can be fun! Instead of asking people what they fear when growing older, we should be out there in society asking what people are looking forward to when it comes to aging—especially since there are so many benefits of growing older!
With Age, Comes Fun!
No matter how old you are, every birthday is a celebration of another year under your belt and a new year of possibilities beginning. Start enjoying the fact that you are another year older and seeing the glass half-full with all the advantages of being older.
For starters, age brings experience. The older we get, the more we realize what is truly important. We seem to be less focused on material things than we were when we were younger. Instead of having a "new" everything—car, house, clothes, etc.—we are focused more on quality, particularly in terms of our friends and family. We focus on quality time spent with them and on enjoying our hobbies, as well as taking advantage of moments instead of things. This, in turn, helps our lives to be more fulfilled by what really matters.
Also, as we age, we tend not to care as much about what others think, which really helps free up some of our time for enjoying other happier things. When we are younger, we put too much weight on what others think of us instead of what we think of ourselves. As young people, instead of listening to ourselves, our hearts, and our wants and needs, we put more value on what others think of us, our hearts, and what they think our wants and needs should be. Not anymore! Now that we are older, we are doing and focusing on what we want!
Added bonus, because of all of this, the older we get, the less headaches we tend to suffer from! Maybe it is because we are not stressing out on things we should have never stressed about in the first place!
At The Courtyards, we are here to have some fun! Contact us today to see how you can join our party!




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The FREE 12 Star Family Support Group is open to Everyone. 
Please join us on the 2ND Tuesday of Every Month  at 6:30PM 

The 12 Star Family Support is Knoxville’s only support venue offering an elder with Dementia or Alzheimer’s Disease the opportunity to have fun and socialize in a safe environment, while allowing the caregiver a much needed break and the ability to gain education and support. Each month will have a different curriculum.  Attend all 12 months and become 12 Star certified! 

Family Support
801 E. Inskip Dr., Knoxville, TN 37912
Traditional Family Support is a forum where caregivers take time for themselves to become educated, get emotional support and meet others who are in similar situations.

Memory Lane Café
815 E. Inskip Dr., Knoxville, TN 37912
Memory Lane Café is a place where persons with Alzheimer’s or a related disease can go to just socialize and have fun with other people going through similar things. At a Memory Café, people can relax and just be themselves, knowing that no one judges them and all who are there are going through almost the same things that they go through every day. 

12 Star Partners: Our 12 Star Partners are dedicated to helping you!  A complete calendar with dates will be available soon that will feature our guest speakers.  

Personal Care: East TN Personal Care Services 
Home Heath:  NHC Home Care 
Hospice:  Smoky Mountain Hospice 
Assisted Living:  Courtyards Senior Living 
Nursing Home: NHC 
Durable Medical Equipment:  Lambert’s 
Pharmacy:  Mac’s Pharmacy 
Attorney:  Monica Franklin Elder Law Practice 
Advocates:    Elder Advocates 
Medicare/Insurance:    Senior Financial Group 
Funeral:    Dignity Memorial 
Local Aging:  Office on Aging 
Alzheimer’s Experts:   Alzheimer’s Tennessee 

When I was four years old I was found wandering the streets of Knoxville TN on the day after Christmas. The people took me to Young Williams Animal Center, where I was fed, bathed, checked up, and given a warm place to sleep. People came to see me, but nobody took me home. My friends at Young Williams played with me and loved me but I wanted to go home. After a couple of months they sent me to Petsafe Village to improve my manners and hopefully I would get a chance to go to my forever home. I loved being at Petsafe Village and made lots of new friends. 

 One day some people came to see me at Young Williams and they took me outside to play. I was happy, my tail was WAGGING! One of the people tried to make me mad, she pinched between my toes and took away my toy, but I didn't get mad. My tail kept WAGGING! I just knew this was it, they were going to take me home. I was really sad when they left but they came back the next day and we went home! I got to ride in the car! I love to ride in cars! When we got home, I met lots and lots of people. They all loved me! I was so happy my tail just wagged and wagged! 

 Its been almost six years since I came to live at The Courtyard Senior Living at Fountain City. I live with twenty elders who have Alzheimer's and I visit our other two houses all the time. I love all my people. Families come to visit them and bring me treats! Sometimes I go for rides in cars! My second chance at life has been amazing. On April 17, 2014 I am having a big party to celebrate my tenth birthday!! I get to eat cake! Life is good! In 2011 I became the mascot for Alzheimer's Tennessee Knoxville by raising money for the Memory Walk.

In 2012 my friend Katie became the Queen Mascot and I was the King Mascot. Between the two of us we raised over $6000.00. Last year I raised $4566.00 with help from all my friends! 


P.S.  Michele Silva thinks I am FABULOUS! :) Watch it HERE: http://www.local8now.com/video?videoid=2555656

You can help my friends at Alzheimer's Tennessee raise money for services and research and help me to be the Mascot. I love being the mascot!! Click on my donation page below and come and have fun at the walk on Saturday April 12!!

1. Small family oriented buildings with open floor plans and no more than 18 rooms in each building
2. Home cooked meals prepared in kitchens that are open 24 hours per day!
3. Well trained staff with education focusing on person centered care, dementia care and the internationally recognize Eden Alternative.
4. Individual buildings dedicated to memory care.
5. Exceptionally high staff to resident ratio as compared to industry standards.   

Call The Courtyards Senior Living to schedule a tour or stop by and have lunch with us. 

We are often asked "What makes The Courtyards Senior Living  different? "

The most striking difference of The Courtyards is the quality and intimacy of the care we provide our residents. Much of this is due to the small size of our communities, with no building having more than 18 rooms. With so few residents, a more intimate, personal care plan can be maintained. Also, our nurses and caregivers develop close bonds with our residents and know their likes/dislikes, just like family. 

When seniors and staff can enjoy a beautiful day in East Tennessee outside with friends we call that 
#aDifferentKindofAssistedLiving