One of the greatest physical assets that Montgomery Meadows has to offer its residents is the beautiful surroundings, which are not being fully utilized.

The following list of items was considered the most important by staff and residents during our feasibility study meetings:

• Enclosed courtyard for dementia residents

• Gardening areas

• Dining

Dementia residents have a tendency to wander off. With an enclosed courtyard, these residents could freely enjoy the outdoor surroundings.

If wings A and B are renovated into an Adult Home, as this report recommends, and wing B becomes the dementia unit, an enclosed courtyard could be constructed between wings B and C.

The cost of expanding the patio and walk areas and installing the required fencing would probably not exceed $20,000.00.

Garden areas already exist, but they are impractical for resident use because most residents are in wheelchairs or are unable to bend over to work in a ground level garden. To solve this problem, a series of two-foot high planter "boxes" could be constructed of decorative concrete blocks in circles or rectangles. Residents could then reach the dirt from a wheelchair or could even sit on the wall to work in the garden.

These elevated planters could be constructed for less than $2,000.00 each.

Presently, a patio exists on the east side of the dining room; but it needs to be expanded and improved with a covered area, so that residents are not in the direct sun.

Without having detailed plans for the covered area, it is hard to estimate the cost; thus, we would suggest including an allowance of $35,000.00.