Being filled to maximum capacity twice in the past year has caused an expansion at The Willows of Marshalltown.

New executive director Jennifer Stanley said The Willows has added another six apartments in the memory care wing.

“Since the wing has been full twice since we opened, we figured we would go ahead and open more,” she said.

The memory care wing is for patients who have Alzheimer’s, dementia or other memory issues. When The Willows opened in 2018 the facility offered 18 memory care apartments and 40 assisted living apartments.

“Most of the calls we get are for memory care and the assisted living isn’t even filled yet,” Stanley said.

The reason for the increase in the percentage of memory care residents is not known but Stanley said people are not placed in the wing on a whim. In memory care, residents have their own studio apartments with a kitchen, a living room, a bedroom and a bathroom with a walk-in shower.

A registered nurse is available 24-hours every day. The wing is locked down and residents are provided transportation to doctor appointments.

Stanley said residents are also encouraged to socialize. Some of the memory care residents can forget to come out of their rooms for meals or even shower and the staff are on-hand to help them.