Patriots Landing in DuPont serves not only retired military, but also the civilian population surrounding Joint Base Lewis-McChord. The scope of this service will soon expand with the addition of a memory care facility.

According to retired Maj. Gen. (Dr.) Ken Farmer, Careage Inc. CEO, construction is scheduled to begin at the intersection of Marshall Circle and Garry Oak Avenue in June and be completed within a year. The anticipated opening is the summer of 2019.

The $18 million, 46,000-square-foot facility will be situated on three acres within minutes of the main apartment building on the main campus and include more than 32,000 square feet of underground parking and support functions.

The corner of Marshall Circle and Garry Oaks Avenue next to Patriots Landing marks the three-acre site of a new 60-bed memory care facility scheduled for construction this June. Photo credit: J.M. Simpson
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It will include 60 beds with 52 private rooms and four two-bedroom semi-private suites. Each of the two residential wings will have a large outdoor landscaped courtyard with walking paths and seating. The wings will be secure and accessible from the living areas and visible from the interior residential hallways, allowing residents to enjoy the outdoors even during the wet and cold months.

The common areas will have high ceilings, spacious living room seating areas, a dining room with large windows facing woodlands, a fireplace, a pub/café, a chapel and several activity areas.

"Building this new facility is a natural evolution of Gene Lynn's vision of making Patriots Landing ‘The Pacific Northwest's Premier Military Senior Living Community,'" wrote Farmer in an email. "As our population ages, there are multi-generational challenges associated with meeting the needs of the growing number of elders who struggle with Alzheimer's and other dementias."

According to the Alzheimer's Association, of the estimated 5.5 million Americans living with Alzheimer's dementia, an estimated 5.3 million are age 65 and older; one in 10 people age 65 and older suffer from the disease.  

Careage, Inc., a part of the same Gig Harbor-based company that built, owns and operates Patriots Landing, will be the general contractor.

Farmer also complimented the City of DuPont, its staff and its City Council for their help in the planning and permitting processes.

"This will be a huge plus for the city as well as for our surrounding population," Farmer said.

"Many here have found a sense of belonging, a place to call home," said Gidgett Chelsey, executive director of Patriots Landing. "Our expansion will only deepen our commitment to our residents."

Since opening its 25 private cottages, 22 memory care apartments and 135 clubhouse apartments in 2005, Patriots Landing has provided outstanding services and amenities to its residents.

"Patriots Landing is not just another nice senior living community," Gene Lynn, the founder of Careage, Inc., said in a news release a number of years ago. "It is the very best place to live."

Begun by Lynn in 1962, Careage is a private real estate development and management company specializing in the housing and healthcare needs of seniors. The firm has developed and built more than 400 hospitals, nursing homes and senior living communities in 26 states.

Patriots Landing is one of those senior living communities and an idea that Lynn had while flying over then Fort Lewis.

"As veterans, we are all patriots," Lynn continued. "Simply put, it is that personal relationship and respect for your commitment to your country which sets us apart and makes Patriots Landing the very best place to live."

Patriots Landing, 1600 Marshall Circle, DuPont, 253.964.4900, patriotslanding.com