Brookdale Chestnut Lane Gresham, formerly known as Chestnut Lane, provides senior assisted living for the Deaf and Deaf-Blind.

Here Our World Adapts to You

Throughout the ages and stages of their lives, the Deaf are often forced to adapt to a hearing world but at Brookdale Chestnut Lane Gresham, we have created a world adapted for the Deaf.

Ourmunity completely and exclusively accommodates the needs of deaf residents. In fact, we are one of only two Assisted Living communities in the U.S. that specialize in providing care for the Deaf, Deaf-Blind and Hard of Hearing. Brookdale Chestnut Lane enables our residents to be included in all of life’s enriching experiences.

We embody Deaf culture. At Brookdale Chestnut Lane there is no such thing as hearing impairment. That is why we have residents who have moved from cities all over the country to be part of our unique family. Here you are surrounded by people just like you who speak your language, understand you and support you.

Brookdale Chestnut Lane offers an immersive American Sign Language environment where our entire staff, from caregivers and chefs to our beauty salon stylist are all fluent in ASL. Many are Deaf themselves and Brookdale Chestnut Lane is proud to be one of Oregon’s largest employers of the Deaf.

Designed for the Deaf and Deaf-Blind Seniors

Our unique community was designed by a Deaf architect and built in 2003 with architectural features specifically designed to enhance communication for deaf residents. Our spacious common areas are free from visibility obstructions, allowing people to sign to each other from across the room.

Yet we also designed for privacy. Alcoves in our hallways allow residents to engage in confidential signing conversations. Some of our residents choose to install their own videophones in their apartments while others choose to use our convenient community videophone.

Serving Residents Like Our Family

At Brookdale Chestnut Lane Gresham we are extremely selective in who we choose for our team. Only those willing to make a long-term commitment are accepted into our caregiving family.

“We have promised ourselves that we shall always treat our residents as we would our own loved ones. Nothing less than our best will do.” This promise to be compassionate, understanding and respectful is made by the staff at more than 1,100 Brookdale communities across the country. Each of us is part of our residents’ extended families and they are part of ours.

When you see clusters of residents, caregivers and staff together throughout our community, they look much like a typical holiday gathering of grandparents, children and grandchildren.

A Catered Lifestyle

The residents of our community enjoy vacation lifestyle services such as:

• Three restaurant-style meals a day
• Weekly housekeeping
• Linen and laundry service
• An on-site hair salon
• A relaxing therapeutic whirlpool
• A community fireplace
• Free scheduled transportation
• Daily activities and outings

Assisted Care

Brookdale Chestnut Lane residents have access to all the services of an Assisted Living community including these features:

• Medication management
• On-site rehabilitation therapy
• Assistance with daily personal tasks

A Network of Medical Providers

Brookdale Chestnut Lane has built close, warm relationships with a local network of doctors, hospitals, clinics and rehabilitation centers in our area. Our residents enjoy the comfort of working with a diverse range of medical professionals who know the needs of Deaf patients and understand their unique culture.

Space for Living

Our four-story community offers 70 apartments including studio and one-bedroom homes. Each spacious apartment includes a wheelchair-accessible bathroom, kitchenette, large closets and lots of windows. Our entire community is compliant with guidelines of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Our residents move in with their own furniture and decorate their apartments any way they wish. After all, this is their home and a warm, safe refuge.

A Home for Your Pet

Brookdale Chestnut Lane Gresham is a pet-friendly community where dogs, cats, rabbits, hamsters, birds and service animals are all welcomed as part of our family. We share their love, comfort and companionship in our homes. For residents on Medicare who find it difficult to afford routine pet care, a veterinarian in our community provides free vaccinations, spaying and neutering for our pets.

A Perfect Location

Brookdale Chestnut Lane is located in Gresham, Ore., a cozy suburban town on the edge of Portland. From our fourth-floor dining room window we enjoy the spectacular vista of 11,237-foot high Mt. Hood. At the same time, we enjoy access to a nearby MAX light rail station, connected to a state-of-the-art transit system that provides convenient transportation throughout the Portland metro area.

Easy Access to the Airport

The families of residents who move here to be part of our special community enjoy the convenience of flying into the Portland airport, then using the MAX system to arrive at Brookdale Chestnut Lane Gresham within 25 minutes.

Easy Access to Portland Attractions

Portland consistently receives high national rankings for its public transportation system and pedestrian-friendly design, enabling residents to go anywhere or do anything without owning or renting a car.

The Portland metropolitan area features top-rated restaurants, coffee houses, microbreweries and entertainment venues. Portland is also highly ranked as a senior-friendly and pet-friendly city.

Each morning at breakfast, our Life Enrichment Director joins residents in the dining room to present “Sign News.” In this presentation, we learn about all the events available on the day’s schedule, inside and outside our community.

A Choice of Fun In-House Activities

Depending on what the day may hold, our residents can choose from indoor activity options such as:

• Exercise Classes
  • These easy physical activities can include chair dancing to musical vibrations, walking, yoga and balloon volleyball.
• Board and Card Games
• Bingo
• Wii Video Game Bowling
• Crafts
  • Crafting experts from the area come to our community to lead activities such as beading, knitting, painting, making cards and holiday decorations and even woodworking.
• Parties
  • Whether for a holiday, a special event or for no particular reason at all, we frequently throw parties for residents and guests.

A Choice of Fun Outings

When you join one of our group excursions into the city of Portland, you get to enjoy coffee houses, new restaurants, shopping, museums and art galleries.

When you venture out of the city with us on one of our day trips, you get to enjoy activities like picnics, casino visits, wine tours and stops at nearby scenic attractions throughout the Pacific Northwest parks such as Multnomah Falls in the Columbia River Gorge. These adventures are much like family vacations.

Our residents are socially stimulated, active and engaged and fully participate in life. At Brookdale Chestnut Lane we age well.

Fine Dining

The dining room at Brookdale Chestnut Lane Gresham looks much like a big family reunion where parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles and cousins all gather at tables to share a family meal.

We do more at the dinner table than share a meal. We share the personal nourishment of social connection.

The dining experience at Brookdale Chestnut Lane features the following:

• Restaurant Style Wait Staff
  • At all meals residents are served by ASL-fluent staff.
• A Variety of Fresh Home-Cooked Meals
  • Our dishes are made from scratch. Each meal offers two entrée choices, vegetables, salad and we never forget dessert. Our menus offer a combination of down-home comfort food as well as gourmet selections. From pot roast to homemade soups, casseroles, chef salads or Chicken Cordon Bleu, our meals are always nutritious and delicious.
• Customizing for Special Preferences & Diets
  • Our chefs know American Sign Language and take the time to learn the tastes and preferences of each resident. We can also accommodate special diets, including low-carb, low-salt, low-fat and cholesterol restrictions. Each month, we hold a Food Council meeting that provides residents a forum for feedback and special requests.
• Snacks
  • Each morning, we all gather in the lobby where snacks such as coffee cake and donuts are served while residents socialize. In the afternoon, we gather for fresh popcorn.