Optima Living and Silverado Leaders Exchange Best Practices to Advance Brain Health and Memory Care

Edmonton, Alberta–(Newsfile Corp. – November 3, 2026) – Optima Living today announced a successful cross-border exchange of ideas and best practices while hosting Silverado’s Loren Shook, Founder, Executive Chairman, and Chairman of the Board, and Wayne Sanner, Chief Executive Officer and President, late last month for a robust discussion on brain health, dementia care, and the future of memory care in Canada and the United States.

Hosted at Optima Living’s Aster Gardens community, the visit connected two organizations at the forefront of how cognitive wellbeing is understood and supported within senior living. Silverado has spent three decades specializing in memory care in the United States, earning recognition as one of the country’s leading providers. In 2026, 22 Silverado communities were named to U.S. News & World Report’s 2026-27 Best Memory Care list, with a world-class Net Promoter Score of 72 across all communities.

Silverado’s approach is grounded in research and a focus on quality of life. Its Nexus brain health program, launched in 2015 for individuals in the early stages of memory impairment, uses purposeful engagement and other innovations and evidence-informed practices to support cognitive wellness.

Topics of discussion included Spark by Optima, a framework developed by Optima Living in collaboration with the University of Alberta’s Department of Medicine and Dr. Adrian Wagg, which brings brain health and memory care into an integrated approach that spans the continuum of senior living and care within Optima communities.

Spark grew from the belief that cognitive wellbeing deserves attention throughout aging, not only following a diagnosis, and that memory care should continue to prioritize meaningful and joyful lives for residents experiencing dementia. The framework considers movement, cognitive challenge, nutrition, and social engagement alongside core principles such as dual tasking.

Although Spark and Silverado’s approaches evolved separately, both recognize that a diagnosis should never define a person. This shared perspective provided a foundation for the two teams to exchange best practices and learn from one another for the betterment of residents.

“Hearing Loren and Wayne explain how Silverado intentionally chooses ‘love over fear’ reinforced one of the most important commitments we can make to people experiencing cognitive change and their families: to lead with love, dignity, and possibility. Exchanging practices with an organization of Silverado’s calibre strengthens our work and affirms the foundation of Spark’s approach to brain health,” said Farid Damji, Co-Founder and Principal, Optima Living.

“For 30 years, Silverado has challenged conventional thinking about what life with dementia can look like. We believe a diagnosis should never define a person or limit the possibility for a meaningful, joyful life. Spending time with the Optima Living team reinforced how much we share that belief. When organizations committed to innovation come together, openly share what we’ve learned and continue challenging one another to do better, it’s the people we serve and their families who ultimately benefit,” said Loren Shook, Founder, Executive Chairman, and Chairman of the Board of Silverado.

The Silverado team was hosted by Optima Living Co-Founder and Principal, Farid Damji; Principal, Ali Shivji; Regional Director, Memory Care, Lifestyles, and Programs, Allison Schindler; and Project Manager, Alison Andrews-Paul, for this exchange of ideas. Insights from the discussions will help inform future work across senior living and memory living communities in both Canada and the United States, contributing to how brain health, memory care, and resident wellbeing continue to evolve.

About Optima Living
Founded in 2007 by two friends inspired by a love for seniors and their families’ dementia journeys, Optima Living was created to offer a more home-like experience in seniors housing and care. What began as a personal mission has grown into one of Western Canada’s leading senior living and continuing care providers, offering Independent Living, Assisted Living, Supportive Living, Long-Term Care, Brain Health and Memory Care, including Optima’s proprietary brain health and care model: Spark. Today, Optima Living is the only Top 10 Canadian senior living and care provider focused exclusively on Western Canada, with more than 6,200 suites under management across Alberta and British Columbia, and was named one of Canada’s Top Growing Companies 2026 by The Globe and Mail’s Report on Business magazine. Guided by our North Star, Let us welcome you home™, we are committed to People, Place, and Community. With a resident-first philosophy, deep community ties, and a focus on innovation, we are shaping a future defined by integrity, dignity, and empathy. Learn more about Optima Living’s approach to senior living at optimaliving.ca.

About Silverado

Founded in 1996, Silverado is a nationally and internationally recognized leader in memory care dedicated to enriching the lives of individuals and families facing memory-impairing diseases and other life-limiting illnesses. For 30 years, Silverado has challenged traditional approaches to care by focusing on dignity, purpose, freedom, connection and quality of life. Today, Silverado operates 28 specialized memory care communities across 11 states and provides hospice and palliative care services throughout Southern California and major metropolitan markets across Texas. Silverado is the first U.S. memory care provider to earn accreditation from Alzheimer’s Disease International and continues to advance dementia care through research and innovative programs including Nexus®, its brain-health program for individuals in the earlier stages of memory impairment. To learn more, visit www.silverado.com or call (866) 522-8125.

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