
Parks’ Place Memory Care proudly celebrated its five-year anniversary of providing exceptional dementia care with a vibrant Fall Festival this past Sunday. Residents, family members, friends, and special guests came together to commemorate this milestone and recognize the incredible journey of Parks’ Place in creating a nurturing environment for those living with dementia.
Honoring the Legacy of Jerry Parks: A Vision of Compassionate Dementia Care
Parks’ Place was founded by the Parks family in honor of their father, Jerry, who was diagnosed with Young-Onset Alzheimer’s at just 56 years old. Jerry was passionate about changing the face of Alzheimer’s care and making a difference for others impacted by the disease. As his condition progressed, Jerry’s vision inspired our family to create a memory care home where residents are embraced as individuals—celebrating their abilities, not just their limitations.
Celebrating 5 Years of Parks’ Place Memory Care
This October, we are proud to celebrate five years of Parks’ Place, which began as a dream more than a decade ago. From finding the right land and securing financing to designing, planning, and building, the journey to create Parks’ Place was a labor of love:
- 2 ½ years spent finding land that could be rezoned
- 2 years to secure financing
- 1 year designing and planning with builders and architects
- 1 year from groundbreaking to grand opening
Parks’ Place Memory Care opened its doors in October 2019, just four months before the world faced a pandemic that significantly impacted senior living and memory care communities.
A Loving Home for Our Residents
Since our opening, Parks’ Place has been home to over 80 residents. Currently, we provide care and support to 30 residents:
- 13 residents have lived with us for 2+ years
- 5 residents have called Parks’ Place home for 3+ years
- 3 residents have been with us for over 4 years
Our success is a testament to the dedicated staff at Parks’ Place. Currently, we employ over 50 passionate individuals, with nearly half of them—21 staff members—having worked with us for more than two years:
- 8 staff members have been with us for 3+ years
- 4 staff members have been with us for 4+ years
- 3 staff members have been with us since our doors first opened!
Thank You to Our Amazing Volunteers
We would also like to recognize the incredible volunteers who have contributed their time and talents to enrich the lives of our residents. Whether it’s sharing music, painting, reading, playing games, dancing, or bringing in animals for visits, every volunteer helps create joyful moments for our residents.
In 2023, we recorded 259 volunteer hours, and in 2024, we’ve already logged approximately 1,395 volunteer hours, thanks in large part to our Life Enrichment Director, Valerie Gauster, and the dedicated students from Wayzata High School, who contributed 1,160 hours.
Our Commitment to Families
The Parks’ Place team is committed to building strong relationships with residents’ families. In 2024, we set a goal to meet with all resident families more consistently through care conferences, focusing on both clinical and personal needs. To date, we have completed 70 care conferences, averaging more than two meetings per week.
Thank You for 5 Wonderful Years
We are incredibly honored to provide care for our residents and deeply appreciate the trust that families have placed in us. Thank you to every family, staff member, and volunteer who has been a part of the Parks’ Place journey—together, we are creating moments of joy every day.


