MANKATO — Collyns Osborne is only 2½ years old, but already she’s got a presence.
At her day care center, everybody knows her name, said her mom, Lacy Osborne.
“It turned out to be one of the best decisions we ever made,” Osborne said of placing Collyns at Generations Child & Memory Care. “We’re really happy there.”
Generations, 3631 Hoffman Road, is a unique facility, with both a day care located within as well as care for seniors with memory impairment such as dementia and Alzheimer’s.
The intergenerational framework is popular among both the kids and residents, said Dwight Aalgaard, licensed assisted living director. He believes in it so much, his mom lives there. Beverly Aalgaard, 86, has dementia and loves where she lives, her son said.
Generations opened in 2022 and has been succeeding since day one, Aalgaard said.
“We are 100% occupied on both the memory care and child care side with wait lists for both,” he said. “I have people who come in and tour and I wish I had the extra space available so I could help those families. I see the need.”
Fortunately for those interested, Generations is expanding by 7,000 square feet. Aalgaard said they’re waiting on city approval and then will start on construction. They’ll start as soon as they get the OK and hope to finish by April 1.
The expansion will allow the facility to grow from 20 memory care apartments to 30, and the preschool will add 10 kids — putting them at capacity.
Emily Jensen’s mom, Betty Brown, has lived at Generations for a year. She has dementia.
“I was fascinated when I went up and visited,” Jensen said. “Just the atmosphere when you arrive, it’s so welcoming and homey. It’s a unique facility. Just all of it is impressive.”
Brown fell six weeks ago and was terrified she wouldn’t be able to return to Generations, Jensen said, but the staff there reassured her that “she’s home and loved.”
Jensen lives nearby in St. Peter and visits her mom several times a week. She said Brown, 91, loves the interaction with the day care kids.
“Those children bring so much joy to the residents,” she said. “It’s also teaching the kids to be comfortable around people who are handicapped. It’s normal to the kids, it sounds like.”
At Generations, the staff is phenomenal, Jensen said.
“They give and they give and they give to these residents,” she said. “It’s in their character and it’s nurtured in these young kids who are learning so many amazing life skills.”
The memory care residents and children gather together each day, usually in the morning, Aalgaard said. Their activities include crafts, painting, making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for a “snack-tivity,” as it’s referred to there, and story time.
The elderly get to hold onto the babies too and interact with them and watch them play.
“Sometimes there’s a little bit of crying, but most of the time it goes well,” Aalgaard said.
He said he wants to provide to many what he provides to his mom.
“It’s great to see her every day,” he said. “She comes in and looks in the window to see if I’m here. I have the desire to help people at the most difficult times in their life. That’s what is prompting this expansion. It was always part of the grand design to expand.”
The Osbornes love it so much, they enrolled their second child, 14-month-old Suttyn, into day care at Generations. The family expects their third baby in September and plans on the child following in the footsteps of Collyns and Suttyn in attending Generations.
“Without a doubt, they love it,” Osborne said of her girls. “I’ve never had them fight with drop-offs and they get so excited to see their teachers every morning. They talk about their friends and grandfriends and teachers. It’s truly just a big family there. It’s great.”