EPOCH Senior Living, a regional provider of assisted living, skilled care, rehabilitation services and memory care programs, and National Development, a Newton-based developer, have begun construction  on a state-of-the-art memory care assisted living community: Bridges® by EPOCH in Westford. Preliminary site work preparation on the project began earlier this month. The building, located on a six-acre site at the intersection of Littleton and South Chelmsford Roads, will open in summer of 2013.

EPOCH Senior Living and National Development have extensive experience in senior living; this is the third project the two firms have collaborated on in the last year. National Development is one of New England’s most active real estate development and investment firms and is recognized nationally for its work in senior housing. National Development has completed 22 senior housing projects in the last 25 years.

National Development Managing Partner Ted Tye said National Development and EPOCH are utilizing almost 50 years’ collective experience to open this memory care facility in Westford. Bridges by EPOCH in Westford is unique in that it is a stand-alone memory care community and all services are geared to serving individuals with Alzheimer’s and other memory illnesses.  National Development and EPOCH opened Bridges by EPOCH in Hingham, another stand-alone memory care community, in June.

"We’re excited to expand our Bridges community to Westford. There is a great need for specialized, quality memory care housing and services as the number of individuals with Alzheimer’s and dementia grows," said EPOCH Chief Executive Officer Larry Gerber. "At Bridges, the entire building is designed exclusively for those with memory impairment, allowing us to achieve a new level of care and support."

The need for memory care is growing. The Alzheimer’s Association estimates in Massachusetts alone, more than 120,000 individuals suffer from Alzheimer’s, and that number is expected to grow by nearly 20 percent by 2025.

Bridgesby EPOCH in Westford will be the first freestanding memory care community of its kind in the area. EPOCH and National Development plan to build similar Bridges by EPOCH communities in other New England locations in the near future.

Westford’s Bridges by EPOCH community will include 48 apartments and will meet residents’ increased needs as a result of memory impairment in a supportive and structured residential environment.  In conjunction with its nationally renowned Alzheimer’s expert Joyce Simard, EPOCH’s Bridges® program has evolved over 14 years to provide the foundation for the Bridges by EPOCH communities. The Bridges program offers ability-appropriate life enrichment programs to foster engagement, independence and encouragement for people with memory loss.

The building was designed by JSA Architects of Portsmouth, N.H., an award-winning firm in Alzheimer’s assisted living design. The general contractor is Cranshaw Construction of Newton, Massachusetts.