BUILDER PLANS CARE FACILITY FOR ALZHEIMER'S.

Byline: Cynthia Teed Daily News Staff Writer

A transitional home for the aging that would have facilities for independent residents, those in need of some care and others with Alzheimer's disease is proposed in Valencia.

Developer Norris Whitmore's proposed Valencia Oaks is scheduled for an April 8 hearing by city planning officials.

The project, unique in the Santa Clarita Valley, would allow for residents to stay in the same home should their health deteriorate.

The proposed 73,000-square-foot care facility of 89 units is planned on the north side of Lyons Avenue, just east of the Golden State Freeway.

City planning officials said the proposal was still in the embryonic stages - nowhere near being approved by the city at this point.

Still, Whitmore said, there is a need. A local builder for 20 years, Whitmore said he researched the demographics and saw a demand for a project such as Valencia Oaks.

``He (Norris) didn't want to build a facility where occupants, eventually succumbing to Alzheimer's, would have to leave, forcing them to live away from their loved ones and known caregivers,'' said Rick Patterson, Whitmore's attorney. ``Norris didn't want to rip out their roots.''

So Whitmore has designed a living area that will allow spouses to remain in the same facility. If one eventually suffers from Alzheimer's, the spouse can remain nearby.

``Uprooting can be so disorienting to anyone, much less seniors or Alzheimer's patients,'' Patterson said.

If the alarming trends in the number of people succumbing to Alzheimer's continue, more than 14 million Americans will fall to the disease by the middle of the next century, and more centers accepting those who suffer from Alzheimer's will be needed, according to the Alzheimer's Association.

So far, there are few places for Alzheimer's patient care in the Santa Clarita Valley.

Beth Jenkins, social services director at Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital said the city has just a few small guest homes that offer specialized facilities for Alzheimer's patients.

Whitmore's Valencia Oaks, to be built on a partially sloping site, will offer more than one acre of gardens, a courtyard and panoramic vistas.

``People ask me what I've done with the oak trees on the site,'' Whitmore said. ``I've kept all of them but a scrub oak because I really want to protect the environment and natural beauty of the site.''

ALZHEIMER'S FACTS

Alzheimer's disease is the third-most expensive disease to manage, following heart disease and cancer.

The average lifetime cost per patient is $174,000.

Alzheimer's disease is a progressive, degenerative disease that attacks the brain and results in impaired memory, thinking and behavior.

The disease was first described by Dr. Alois Alzheimer in 1906.

One in 10 people over 65 and nearly half of those over 85 suffer from Alzheimer's.

An estimated 14 million Americans will have Alzheimer's by 2050 unless a cure or prevention is found.

U.S. society spends almost $100 billion per year for expenses related to Alzheimer's disease.

SOURCE: National Headquarters Alzheimer's Association, Chicago

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BOX: ALZHEIMER'S FACTS (See text)