Management

Emily R Groomsis a General Partner in Assisted Living at Silver Gardens, LLC.  She is also a key player in the operational team for Assisted Living & Memory Care at Royal Gardens, LLC.  As a Gerontologist, she brings nearly fifteen years training and operational experience in licensed care for Residents with difficult and challenging Alzheimers.

 She is a specialist in advanced services for Alzheimers care.  She brings an MS in Applied Gerontology from the University of North Texas, as well as an MA from Memphis State University.

About Assisted Living and Memory Care at Royal Gardens…talking about today means talking about yesterday.  Ms. Grooms operated Silver Gardens, a state-licensed total care assisted living residence over ten years.  The memory care model is total ADL care – a qualitative step beyond baseline medical models.  One special niche is accepting Residents who bring specific abrasive or troubling behavioral issues.  Often these are Residents who were over-medicated, over-stimulated or mistreated in some way.  The second specialty is aging in place – every family’s hope.  A proactive approach for maximum well-being, personal health and preventative care goes into place -- with all services (including medical and dental house calls) coming to the Resident “at home.”

She is focused on all aspects of home and staff quality and total care in assisted living/residential Alzheimers and dementia settings.  Carrying out this mission entails pulling together solid gold elements from a life’s experience in training and human development, stand-alone business skills, and building a model for exemplary Alzheimers care.

Community Services and Awards…Emily will begin service as a Director on the board of the Dallas Area Gerontological Society in 2017; this is an association of about 500 social workers and care navigators in the DFW metro area, focused on continuing education, elder advocacy, and scholarships for students entering the aging services field.  She is a facilitator for the Early Onset Programs of the Greater Dallas Alzheimer’s Association In the interval 2015-2012, she served as president of Texas Senior Living Association’s north Texas chapter (Dallas, TX).  She is a co-Founder of FIRST STEP, INC., a family violence shelter in Wichita Falls.  She also served as Advisory Board President, RSVP, Retired Senior Volunteer Program in Memphis, TN.

Awards in Texas include the Texas Senior Living Association’s 2016-2013

Gladys Koval Founder’s Award for Excellence

Among national Awards are recognitions from the Assisted Living Federation of America; she received three ALFA Champion for Seniors Awards. This honor represents superior levels of commitment and dedication to the community of seniors.  ALFA is a national federation, representing about 4000 small neighborhood-based assisted living providers in the senior living industry.  Her special legacy is training – coming to her staff have been five excellences in professional caregiving awards – two from ALFA, another from TSLA in 2014, and two more from the metro Dallas area Adult Protective Services offices in late 2016.

Joi Anne L. Garrett, Partner in Assisted Living & Memory Care at Royal Gardens, LLC.

 It All Began With…  this memory care community is the result of a passage, one beginning in with a parent assisted living operation.

The journey began in 2006, with a joint partnership with Emily Grooms.  The result was an activities-based, total ADL care assisted living community for Residents with Alzheimers. 

That model is now basic to wellness and well being at ALMC.   Stated another way, ALMC offers health and safety to meet family concerns and tries to find paths to happiness to meet Resident needs.

From the first days, the Resident care model exceeded norms in assisted living approaches and care -- “advanced care” for Residents with mid-to-late stage dementias. 

A comprehensive approach was devised, based on building approaches for total care, engagement focus and Resident-centered assisted living.

Early recognition came:  For best practices, ALFA awarded three consecutive national awards, two Compassion in Caregiving Awards for the Facilities and Staffing Manager.

The Texas Senior Living Association conferred Caregiver of the Year in 2014.  That’s a top-of-the-mark award, representing at least 1800 care partners employed in TSLA member organizations.

Dallas area Adult Protective Services regional office awarded one Care Partner the Excellence in Services award in late 2016.

 The same Resident-centered boutique care model initially adapted for Silver Gardens activated at ALMC.

About Joi Anne…  She is a starter, a builder, and a planner.  Her previous business experience involved:

Twelve years’ as a mortgage banker, following establishment of her own mortgage lending business.

Employee Relations Director for an organization composed of about 2000 employees,

Director, Education and Workforce Training for a nationally recognized job training program for disabled workers. 

Executive Coordinator, for First Step, Inc.

Director of Employment and Training (USDOL) in a council of government and Texas’ political subdivision. 

Assistant Professor, Social Sciences at Midwestern State University.

Her education was completed at Southern Methodist University (MS).

Her work history shows some substantial and interesting things…always with director-to CEO standing   The same year her parents encountered major medical obstacles, she was selected for a vice-president’s position in a 14-state corporate operation…she  left that  domain to support her parents’ needs for attention and care.

Relevant associations include membership in the Texas Senior Living Association.  She is currently president of the North Texas Chapter.  Since 2012 she’s received four awards from the same state association in connection with work to further the organization’s educational and legislative needs.