Belmont Village of Hollywood Hills is situated just blocks away from the Hollywood & Highland Center, in an attractive urban neighborhood. The contemporary beige facility resembles a luxury apartment building, and is flanked by tall trees and professional landscaping. The elevator in the underground parking garage takes visitors to a welcoming lobby with sofa seating, a dark wood coffee table and artificial plants. A mahogany bookshelf sits behind the semicircular receptionist’s desk. Not far away is the elegant main living room with all the accoutrements to living in style—a fireplace, black grand piano and gorgeous grandfather clock. Coordinating furniture in the form of a sofa and chairs offer comfortable seating options. At the time of our tour, several residents were reading the paper or chatting in this area while classical music played in the background. A blue-and-yellow canary resides in a vintage birdcage, and pipes along to the music. Attractive resident rooms are carpeted in light brown with cream-colored walls. Bathrooms have adjustable shower benches and non-slip floors. We walked into the restaurant-style dining room to the music of a professional violin player. Pink linen napkins top dark wood tables seating four residents at each. The floor is awash in burgundy and gray carpet, complementing the wooden china cabinet chockfull of decorative plates. Plenty of windows illuminate the dining space. A professional chef freshly prepares all meals. In between meals, the bistro is a popular spot for peckish residents to grab a snack or a cup of coffee. The wooden floors and green marble-topped salad bar are nice touches. Common spaces are all tastefully appointed. There’s a billiard room with hanging tapestries and a mahogany pool table as well as a theater with a fifty-inch plasma TV! A popcorn machine and theater seats complete the experience. Residents can surf the Internet in the computer room, or nestle down to a good book in the beautiful library with leather sofas and rich furniture. The activity room has a kitchenette for cooking activities. The schedule includes exercise sessions, arts and crafts, gardening, theme parties and socials as well as shopping trips. If residents want to expend more energy, the gym is the place to be. Equipped with weights and cardio equipment, the gym also hosts tai chi and yoga classes. A white metal gate contains the furnished outdoor terrace, which features beautiful flowers and landscaping. The facility’s learning coordinator took us to the Neighborhood, also known as the secured Alzheimer’s unit, located in the center of the main building. The spacious dining room is sparklingly clean. Polished gold knockers on crisp white doors lead to residents’ rooms. Structured programming includes a daily theme, and is modified to residents’ varying abilities. Our tour guide is starting a program to better integrate residents in the main population who have mild dementia with the residents in the Neighborhood, who are in the more advanced stages.
