MENOMONEE FALLS - With today's aging population, there's a growing need for Alzheimer's and dementia care, but it's important to balance that care with a sense of independence. Welcome to Northfield Manor in Menomonee Falls. From an afternoon serenade....to an afternoon cranberry juice cocktail....to a game of bowling... Northfield Manor seems more like a resort, than an assisted living community. Monika Hawthorne is a certified nursing assistant there. "I've worked in other Alzheimer's facilities, and this right here is the place to be," Hawthorne exclaimed. Ruth Harvey is a former artist, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in April of 2007. Her family is very pleased with Northfield Manor. Her daughter Laura Frakes couldn't stop raving. "We feel like, we found the best place our mother could live, other than with us," Frakes explained. With a kitchenette and bedroom area, Harvey basically has her own little apartment, but she's pretty honest about why she really likes living at the Manor. "I think you like it here because people wait on you,” Frakes said. "I don't have to do a lot of work. It's great!" Harvey said. They may not have to do a lot of work, but residents are expected to leave their rooms and take part in daily activities. There are walking paths and secured courtyards designed to make the residents feel a sense of freedom. Kimberly Otte is the chief operating officer. "How would it feel to you, if you were all of a sudden put somewhere, and you couldn't get out, couldn't go outside, felt like you had all of your independence taken away?" Otte asked. The campus also has "activity stations" to occupy patients who tend to be "wanderers." "So we have stations set up where they can walk, and do some form of an activity on their own," Otte explained. The big highlight of the day? Smoothie time! Every resident gets two a day: one fruit, one vegetable. "So many times, as a person's disease advances, their swallowing becomes challenged," Otte said. Frakes visits her mom almost every day and sees the positive effect this new home has on her. "Her spirit and sense of humor and her speech and vocabulary, are fantastic," Frakes said. Harvey admits it's not always easy, but she's happy where she is. "Does anyone live through life without a rough day here and there? No. I don't have many though," Harvey said. There are several of these senior living communities in the Milwaukee area.