Rome native Mary Caldwell has been named Director of Town Square® Sandy Springs, an innovative adult day center for those with Alzheimer’s or other dementias. The facility, which offers experiential adult day enrichment, is the first of its kind in Atlanta and the sixth in the U.S.
Caldwell began her gerontology career in Rome after college, serving as program coordinator at Mercy Care in adult day health. She was a Clinical Social Work Intern at Floyd Hospice and served as an aging and disability specialist at Northwest Georgia Regional Commission. Caldwell’s career also includes roles at two Georgia Area Agencies on Aging. Prior to joining Town Square, she was the Helpline and Early Stage Program Manager for the Alzheimer’s Association, Georgia Chapter.
“Our person-centered, strengths-based approach to healthy aging supports interventions that reduce risk for disease, may delay dementia progression and postpone the need for long-term care,” Caldwell says. “We are committed to serving our members, but also any person impacted by Alzheimer’s or dementia by providing free care consultation, care planning, care partner support groups and education.”
She earned a bachelor’s degree from Shorter University, is a graduate of Eastern Illinois University’s Aging Studies program and serves on the board of the Georgia Gerontology Society. She is the daughter of Tom Caldwell, retired founder of Greater Community Bank (and Melanie Caldwell, retired from Sara Hightower Regional Library) and Patsy Sheehan, retired from Brookdale. Mary Caldwell is the mother of three and grandmother of four.
Town Square provides a safe, comforting and immersive environment where members spend the day while caretakers are at work, running errands or taking a break from daily routines. Members – as Town Square day guests are called – take part in a range of engaging activities facilitated by highly qualified Program Assistants (with an 8-to-1 caregiver/participant ratio) who leverage therapeutic reminiscing techniques to spark memories and stimulate the mind.
Caldwell has a deep understanding of the societal-based challenges around aging, specifically those that impact dementia patients and their care partners. Her area of expertise is assisting individuals and families through the experience of living with dementia – from first recognizing there is a need, obtaining a diagnosis, and identifying first steps, to co-creating a flexible care plan that will grow as needs increase.
