Arden Rose breaks ground on three new buildings to expand assisted living, memory care services

Arden Rose Home Care and Senior Living in Lake in the Hills broke ground earlier this month on three new one-story buildings that will provide both assisted living and memory care with a home-like feel.

Broken up into two phases, the project will see the first building completed by November, with work on the second and third building set to begin next spring, owner Laurel Sorenson said.

“The past two years, it’s really come to fruition with a lot of planning as far as how can we offer this small-home concept in the area,” she said.

Amenities will include an outdoor patio and a bike path, Sorenson said. The facilities also will offer an on-site therapy room, which will be enhanced through a partnership Arden Rose has to bring various therapists on site.

The cost of each unit is not readily available yet, Sorenson said. Most residents will come with their own specific needs and level of care, which could affect the cost, she said.

Originally started six years ago by Sorenson and her daughter, Kaylee Newman, who each worked as nurses, Arden Rose is an agency aimed at providing care to those who need it in their homes.

The agency is named after Newman’s grandmother and Sorenson’s mother-in-law, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in the early 2000s. After the diagnosis, it became clear the challenges that came with providing the care needed for someone with such an illness, Sorenson said.

As a result, the pair started Arden Rose, beginning in Algonquin but recently moving to Lake in the Hills, with their office now located right next to the new development, Sorenson said. The agency offers care in-home, as well as transition care and hospice support, according to its website.

That vision is being expanded now, Sorenson said. The goal is to provide a feeling of home to its residents.

If they’re successful, the facilities will offer something different than what is already in the area, said Joshua Langen, the village of Lake in the Hills’ director of community development.

The pair already is seeing a good amount of interest for its future facilities, Sorenson said. Two of the buildings are expected to be for assisted living while one will be for memory care.

“The community interest has been really good,” she said. “We’ve seen the changes in the demographics and the aging population.”

Jennifer Prell, president of the nonprofit Elderwerks Educational Services, said she hasn’t worked with Arden Rose very much, though she knows several people who work there. She said she hopes the new buildings help reduce the need for assisted living in the area.

“Their reputation must be good because I believe they have quite a few clients who are waiting for them to be built,” Prell said. “Everybody starts off great. In a year, we have to see where they’re at.”

Currently, the agency serves about 55 people, Sorenson said. The three new buildings will each have up to 16 residents, which will bring the agency’s total to more than 100 people.

The people they want to attract are those who want to remain-in-home type of atmosphere, Sorenson said.