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What a pioneering facility that gives alz sufferers the respect and care they deserve. Don't we all wish our alz loved ones could go to a village like this. Hopefully the concept will spread ...
What a pioneering facility that gives alz sufferers the respect and care they deserve. Don't we all wish our alz loved ones could go to a village like this. Hopefully the concept will spread ...
There are more and more facilities making their dementia care areas look and operate like neighborhoods. I think it's a great idea.
One of my favorites was in Columbia, SC. I don't remember which company owned or operated it. But each room had a unique front door. There were small shops open at routine times. This particular place looked very much like small towns in SC.
Well I'm not aware of any ALFs or Memory Care facilities here that are dramatically described as:
Quote:
with cold steel, linoleum floors, the smell of antiseptic and staff members wearing white, they live in a neighborhood.
While I'm sure they exist somewhere, the four memory care centers I know about are all nice and resemble upscale hotels. My client has a courtyard outside her door nicer than the one pictured, hairdresser, activities, GOLF CART RIDES (not horses). And she has no interest in SHOPPING but will go to the kitchen to ask for stuff. She has a kitchenette in her room, anyway. And yes, she lives in a neighborhood. A COMMUNITY.
And this whole thing is SUSPECT to me, because MY client, for example, could no more "come and go" than fly to the moon.
Last week we found her sitting out on the grass where she fell while out her back door looking for the dog.
She can barely walk to the bathroom and back. And she has late stage dementia not an Alz diagnosis.
Perhaps this is meant more for active, young early onset people. And even SO, they are LOOKING FOR THEIR HOME. And their car keys. Not tomato sauce.
Seems to me they are describing clinical antiseptic EUROPEAN "nursing homes" not American Alz facilities. So yeah, they probably ARE better off in a facility MORE LIKE AMERICAN ONES.
But it's a cute idea having fake grocery stores.
Last edited by runswithscissors; 02-10-2015 at 12:17 PM..
It looks like an ordinary skilled nursing facility and rehab center. There's just more decorative furnishings in the courtyard, in the private rooms, and in the common areas.
Meh....my dad never lived in a 'village'. He lived on an Air Force base in the 50s. So the cold steel and linoleum would be a step up from that. In the 90s he commuted on the infamous DC Beltway 2 hours a day to get to his work in a high security bunker.
There is a small window of time where such a setting would be helpful for a dementia sufferer. Dad could have enjoyed it maybe 5-7 years ago. But to be honest, he would have enjoyed any pleasant living circumstances at that stage. (as opposed to being trapped in a suburban nightmare with my demanding/bossy/unpleasant mother. I don't think a faux village would have made the difference. At his current stage my dad would find that village setting very confusing. He is struggling to hold a fork correctly, he wouldn't get much out of a fake grocery store.
A fake grocery store would confuse many people that I know, or have met. They are useful in "Main St." rehab settings. The ones where you have typical businesses to simulate returning to the community.
Memory care units I've seen that I really liked had small shops where someone could actually purchase a greeting card, or a small snack. Things like that.
Here's a 23 minute clip hosted by Dr. Gupta that demonstrates why this village is different from anything we have in the United States and IMHO, quite impressive. Note that admission is restricted to those with severe dementia.
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And she has late stage dementia not an Alz diagnosis. 
