New Dementia Care Home Finds Its Niche

A second nursing home, run by Manoa Cottage in Manoa Valley, opened this summer in Kaimuki.

Located at 748 Olokele Ave., Manoa Cottage Kaimuki cares for patients with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease at a site that previously had two small apartment complexes and three small homes.

The new 27-bed facility aims for a home-like, comfortable environment, according to human resources director Elizabeth Shim. There is a great need for nursing homes in East Oahu, she said, but there is also a great shortage.

“We have our care homes up in Manoa, and there was always such a great need for the higher-level of care.”

Manoa Cottages wanted to expand, Shim explained, and they wanted something in town because of the bigger need. “We decided to keep it small because in town that’s the only choice you have.” That’s also how the facility found its niche dealing with memory-impaired patients.

It also helps that Manoa Cottage Kaimuki is local and family-owned, and it doesn’t feel like a huge facility, she said. The home has 27 beds, while most other big facilities often have 60 to 100 beds. This environment allows employees to cater programs to specific individuals.

In three to five years, Shim stated, they plan to add a second phase with 15 more beds, a larger common area, full conventional kitchen and cafe, and expanded therapy space. At its completion, it will be a 42-bed skilled nursing and intermediate care facility.

“There are also a lot of green initiatives that we have planned in the second phase, including photovoltaic ventilation,” Shim said. “We already have the start on an edible garden, but the second phase will expand on that concept. There will be both a walking path and garden, and everything in the garden you can eat or is medicinal.”

For more information, visit manoacottage.com or call 943-8767.