Meet D. Matt Stanley
Innovation is the mother of invention. Whenever there’s a need, creative individuals rise to the challenge and find solutions for the problems that plague people, both as individuals and within society overall.
That was the situation that D. Matt Stanley found himself in, one which led him to a decision that not only changed his life, but also the lives of many others. He established an innovative philosophy to help those living with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. As founder, president and CEO of Sundance Memory Care, Mr. Stanley oversees three Texas-based campuses conceived and designed to provide those in need as well as their families with the care and compassion they deserve.
A graduate of Baylor University with a degree in real estate, Mr. Stanley began his career specializing in real estate investment and business development. However, after a decade of pursuing those interests, a family situation caused him to change course and look at ways to serve the seniors who weren’t given the tools and assistance needed to deal with their disfunction. Indeed, the scenario hit close to home, spurred by what he observed with a family member who wasn’t being cared for properly due to a lack of resources available to him, his relatives and others in similar situations.
“Once I witnessed what my family was going through in their search for answers following my loved one’s diagnosis with dementia, I knew it would be necessary to stop everything I was doing to focus instead on finding a solution,” Mr. Stanley recalls. “I left my real estate practice and devoted a year to study and research on how people living with dementia were being helped worldwide. My hope was that I could tap into a template that could assist the people that needed help in my home state of Texas and beyond.”
His efforts led him to France and the Netherlands where he met with the innovators and architects of facilities designed to help persons with dementia and to give their primary caregivers the support they so urgently needed. He worked briefly with Dr. Free LaPre, President of the European Centre for Research and Education Aging Services, an organization based out of Belgium, as well as with Michael Bol of Dementia Village Architects in the Netherlands. His training also included studies at the Center for Applied Research in Dementia — C.A.R.D. — under the guidance of Dr. Cameron Camp, a foremost authority in dementia care and an innovator in applying the Montessori technique to his work with dementia patients. Now a certified trainer himself, Mr. Stanley served on the American Montessori Society’s Task Force Board on Dementia and was personally recruited to serve on the Texas Health and Human Services Person Centered Practices Steering Committee’s Quality and Oversight subcommittee, due in large part to his efforts to promote the Montessori approach to dementia care.
“Matt Stanley has been a powerful advocate for the person-centered care approach for residents with dementia,” Dr. Camp commented. “By adopting the Montessori method as a new model for memory care, his organization has created award-winning communities which serve as models for positive culture change. Matt is a true thought leader for his industry.”
These days, Mr. Stanley continues to further his outreach efforts. He’s the founder of Music and Memories, an organization which sponsors benefit concerts to help raise money for Alzheimer’s Texas, Austin Sunshine Camps, Kickstart Kids and BVB Dallas. The event has always featured an all-star list of musical headliners, among them such superstars as Marc Broussard, Reed Turner and Dave Barnes.
“It’s been a joy to work with Matt Stanley, Sundance and the Music and Memories organization over the past couple of years,” Marc Broussard says. “They work tirelessly on the front line to keep a vulnerable population safe, and that deserves much appreciation and applause.”
Not surprisingly, other accolades have come his way as well. He’s a recipient of the prestigious Austin Under 40 Award for Entrepreneurship, Start-Up and Social Innovation. In 2020, he was recognized as an Innovator in Aging by Texas Health and Human Services. In addition, Sundance Memory Care Communities were selected by the Austin American-Statesman as the “Best of the Best Official Choice Awards for Senior Housing” in 2018 as well as a runner up for the award in 2019 and 2020.
Sundance was also named as one of the best for senior housing by SeniorAdvisors.com in 2015 – 2018 in multiple communities.
These days, Mr. Stanley’s work continues to provide a pathway towards further understanding of dementia and how best to give those that suffer from this disease the attention and dignity they deserve. Towards that end, he helped establish a partnership between Sundance and Baylor University’s Diana Garland School of Social Work for Graduate Studies, as well as an internship collaboration with the University of Louisiana at Lafayette that provides further opportunities for students to study Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia and find care solutions for the future. In addition, he is an investor in the Ally Bally Bee Project, a Scottish initiative that’s behind the first custom children's book written about dementia.
Fortunately, the journey continues. While Mr. Stanley has seen some solid successes so far, he’s clearly unwilling to stop there. His commitment to the cause of helping a community in need finds him going forward with other innovative efforts, including the establishment of Sundance University in 2021 along with a broad-based curriculum that will allow future pioneers to pursue careers in the care and treatments for seniors living with memory loss and various forms of dementia.
For now, Mr. Stanley’s goals boil down to three words: “Respect. Dignity. Equality.” That’s the mantra for efforts well-spent.