As the average American lifespan climbs, so do needs for specialized care for seniors.

To help meet this demand at the Veterans Home of California at Yountville, a new Memory Care Center will open to patients at the facility this fall.

The center, geared toward veterans suffering from Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia, carries a price tag of $16 million -- a cost covered primarily by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, a $11 million contributor. The state of California funded the remaining third of the cost, according to a press release.

The facility, located in the renovated Franklin D. Roosevelt Annex, will eventually house 75 veterans.

Jody Price, Vets Home public information officer, said 40 beds will become available to patients within the next three months, pending approximately 75 new hires specifically for the Memory Care Center. Topping the list of needed medical personnel are 25 certified nursing assistants, eight registered nurses and five licensed vocational nurses. In addition, a social worker, pharmacists, a part-time nurse practitioner and part-time dentist will be hired, along with a psychologist, psychiatrist and other personnel.

Dr. Mike Loftus, chief medical officer of the Vets Home, said mental health staff are needed in the new facility because many dementia patients also suffer from depression, adding that dementia patients and their caregivers face special challenges.

In the advanced stages of dementia, Loftus said, patients may accidentally skip meals, become disoriented and forget where they are. "The (challenge) is providing people with stimulation and a protective environment where they're able to use what faculties they have -- so they're less likely to have physical injuries."

The new facility -- designed to feel more like home than a hospital -- was created with the special needs of dementia patients in mind. The center will boast three secure courtyards, enabling residents to venture outdoors unescorted while visiting family or friends. In addition, "shadow boxes" holding family photos, figurines or other personal items will be used instead of room number plates because dementia patients are often unable to recall numbers, Price said.

Marcella McCormack, Vets Home administrator, has high hopes for the specialized center. "Our staff is working hard to anticipate and meet the changing needs of veterans in the future; this new center takes us a big step forward in caring for those who have come here to live and then been diagnosed with some form of dementia," she stated in a press release.

In addition to the opening of the Memory Care Center, the Vets Home will launch a new treatment program next month. "The Pathway Home," created for veterans returning from combat zones in Afghanistan and Iraq, will offer treatment options for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.