Firsthand Understanding: Evidence-Based Memory Care in Santa Fe, NM
We've navigated memory loss, too.
Let our team provide a personalized care option for your family.
Connections is a unique memory care program designed to help older adults with Alzheimer’s and dementia lead purposeful lives near Los Alamos, Taos, and White Rock. The program offers a secure environment, a committed and caring team, and a variety of activities designed to fit the unique needs of those with cognitive decline.
We understand the time, effort, and emotional toll caregiving can take on a family. If you’re wondering whether your loved one’s needs are beyond your abilities, The Legacy wants to help with comprehensive dementia care in Santa Fe.
How We Provide New Mexico Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care
Our Memory Care in Santa Fe Is Where Residents With Alzheimer’s Or Other Forms Of Dementia Find Friendship and Support.
We provide the necessary support services, such as assistance with dressing, bathing, dining, grooming, medication management, and more. We also offer opportunities through our Connections program to enhance residents’ lifestyles. Our neighborhood for memory care in Santa Fe provides comfort with 24-hour certified team members who are always on-site.
Connections: Supporting Memory Care Family Members
Alzheimer’s and dementia affect more than the person living with the diagnosis. Family members’ lives are also impacted, and the Connections program in our senior living community is here to offer support. Whether you’re feeling overwhelmed by caregiving responsibilities or struggling to cope with changes in your loved one, our program provides a range of resources designed to help you navigate this journey with compassion and understanding.
- Monthly support groups: Connect with others impacted by dementia and learn how to cope with the challenges through facilitated support groups in partnership with local senior living professionals and community care organizations.
- Educational resources: Access information about dementia, including symptoms, treatment options, and strategies, through educational resources such as articles, videos, and webinars.
- Family involvement: We involve families in resident support and planning through regular conferences. Family members can share their thoughts and concerns and collaborate with our Santa Fe memory care team.
- Family events: Participate in special celebrations, providing opportunities for residents and their loved ones to engage in meaningful activities that instill purpose.
- Caregiver training: Connections team members receive ongoing training from program director, Dr. Petersen, and other accredited sources to provide top-rated care, activities, and family communication.
- Sensory stimulation: We engage residents in sensory stimulation activities, such as music and art therapy, that can promote well-being and emotional expression. Our partnership with Dementia Live® offers family members the experience of cognitive impairment.
- Pet therapy: Residents participate in pet therapy programs, which have been shown to reduce stress and improve socialization among dementia patients. We welcome family pets in visiting areas with prior approval.
Connect - Move - Learn: Unique for New Mexico Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care
The Connect, Move, Learn sequence is how our memory care community promotes neuroplasticity. The brain can continue producing healthy cells despite memory loss. Staying engaged socially, physically, and mentally helps residents at The Legacy at Santa Fe find daily purpose, and scientific research supports every element of this approach.
Programming that Makes a Difference
Engaging the Emotions in Santa Fe Memory Care
- Aromatherapy to decrease agitation
- SingFit, a program shown to elevate mood and improve speech through singing classic songs
- The hobbies your loved one has always enjoyed like painting, drawing, and crafts
Encouraging Movement
Challenging the Brain
Our team is constantly finding ways for residents to engage with new information. Activities designed for brain stimulation include:
- Word games
- Reminiscence therapy
- Book club
- Story time
- A variety of brain-healthy meals and snacks
Supporting Socialization
Research shows that socialization with others is critical to maintaining mental health and cognition. Regular interaction can help seniors achieve a better sense of belonging and structure. We provide a variety of group activities that allow Santa Fe memory care residents to foster relationships and connect with others because building community is part of everything we do.
Research-Backed Music Therapy for Dementia Care in Santa Fe
Memory Care Inspired by Experience
Watch to Learn More about Dr. Petersen's Story
Dr. Petersen
Connections Explained: A Comforting Home
Moving to assisted living or memory care can be difficult for older adults. Our program is working to remove the fear of the unknown and welcome residents home to independence. Senior care has been a personal and professional mission for Dr. Sandra Petersen for over three decades. Her practice focuses on neuroscience and the transformative power of rewiring the brain despite Alzheimer’s and dementia.
Is it time to talk about memory care in Santa Fe, NM?
Take Our Quiz.
Recognizing when a loved one needs more support than you can provide is one of the hardest moments a family faces. If you’ve noticed increased confusion, wandering, difficulty with daily tasks, or dramatic mood changes, it may be time to explore memory care. This quiz can help you understand where your loved one stands, and what comes next.
How Does Memory Care in Santa Fe Pricing Work?
Planning involves understanding memory care costs. Read our guide to learn more about financing senior living in Santa Fe County with benefits like long-term care insurance and VA benefits.
Book a tour at your convenience and get to know our team providing memory care in Santa Fe.
We are ready when you are.
Families Trust Us After A Stay in A Nursing Home
My partner has been at Legacy now for 14 months in memory care. He has advanced dementia. He came from a facility, was in terrible shape, and in hospice care when he could finally be moved. Within a few months at Legacy, he was out of hospice care, eating again and gaining weight. I believe the caring staff at Legacy kept him from deteriorating any further and actually improving his overall health and demeanor so much. He now lives in his comfortable, secure room. I don’t believe you can find better care than The Legacy at Santa Fe, especially for the price. I find all of their staff to be truly caring and professional. It’s more than ‘just a job’ to them.”
- Family Member, Google Review
Frequently Asked Questions About Memory Care in Santa Fe
Memory care in Santa Fe is a specialized form of senior living designed for older adults living with Alzheimer’s, dementia, or other forms of cognitive decline. Unlike assisted living, memory care provides a secure environment with 24-hour oversight, programming specifically designed to support brain health, and team members trained in dementia-specific care. At The Legacy at Santa Fe, our Connections program goes further — it is evidence-based, built around neuroplasticity, and shaped by over 30 years of firsthand experience.
Connections is the evidence-based dementia care program at The Legacy at Santa Fe, built around three pillars: connect, move, and learn. Developed and led by Dr. Sandra Petersen — Pegasus Senior Living’s Senior Vice President of Health and Wellness, who has over 30 years of experience and personal insight into cognitive recovery — Connections uses neuroplasticity therapy, music and art therapy, physical activity, and individualized programming to help residents live with purpose and dignity.
Common signs that a loved one may benefit from memory care include increasing confusion or disorientation, wandering or getting lost in familiar places, difficulty with daily tasks like bathing or dressing, dramatic mood or personality changes, and a family caregiver who is reaching the limits of what they can provide. Our quiz above can help you assess the situation. When in doubt, a tour is always a no-obligation first step.
The cost of memory care in Santa Fe can be offset by several financial resources, including long-term care insurance and VA benefits for eligible veterans. Our team at The Legacy at Santa Fe can walk you through the options and help your family understand what is available. Read our comprehensive cost guide for a full breakdown.
Every day at The Legacy at Santa Fe is structured to provide comfort, stimulation, and connection, while remaining flexible enough to honor each resident’s individual rhythm. A typical day might include morning movement or a walking club, a SingFit music session, brain games or reminiscence therapy, a chef-prepared brain-healthy meal, art or craft time, and an evening social gathering. All programming is designed around the connect, move, learn framework.
The Connections program includes robust family support: monthly dementia support groups, educational resources, regular family conferences, special family events, and access to Dementia Live, a program that allows family members to experience what cognitive impairment feels like firsthand. We believe families are part of the care team, and we treat them that way.
Most dementia care offers secure environments and qualified team members. The Legacy at Santa Fe offers all of that plus the Connections program, which is rooted in decades of lived and clinical experience, backed by neuroscience, and built around the belief that a person living with dementia deserves a life of meaning, movement, and joy.