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/ BUILDING DIALOGUE / DECEMBER 2015
Design to Engage Seniors Community
T
here are 5.1 million Americans over the
age of 65 living with Alzheimer’s disease.
That means every day families are faced
with the heartbreaking decision to move loved
ones from their current home to a memory care
community.
However, thanks to new design concepts de-
veloped by firms like ours and Lakewood-based
Azura Living, the weight of that decision is less-
ened slightly as memory care services and transfor-
mational programs improve the lives of caregivers,
Alzheimer’s residents and their families.
Working on two new memory care projects with
Azura Living, our primary goal is to create a safe and
secure homelike environment that improves res-
ident care, addresses increased physical and visual
impairments through thoughtful use of materials,
and accommodates ambulation to reduce stress and
anxiety for the resident.
But as the Colorado market continues to lose more
skilled nursing facilities, many new memory care
communities are being forced to accommodate the
care of both early and late-stage Alzheimer’s resi-
dents in the same building. New designs must ad-
dress the vastly different acuity levels of residents
by including larger socialization spaces for healthier
residents, as well as small, tranquil spaces for indi-
viduals suffering with advanced-stage Alzheimer’s.
“Quiet spaces for residents who can’t tolerate the
intense stimulus of large social gatherings are very
important,” said Megan Carnarius, executive direc-
tor of Balfour Cherrywood Village and author of “A
Deeper Perspective on Alzheimer’s and Other De-
mentias.”
“But, large spaces that accommodate group gather-
ings are magical for healthier residents.”
“The need for community engagement and so-
cialization space is something we’ve embraced,” said
Josh McClellan, CEO of Azura Living. “We worked
with STUDIO to develop an attractive, comfortable
destination within the building where visitors will
feel welcome to stay, enjoy a cup of coffee, learn
more about the disease and ultimately spend more
time with their loved ones.”
As a result, we created a dynamic, multipurpose
space called Memory Café, located near the build-
ing’s entry so the local community can easily access
its educational resources and entertainment spaces.
Memory Café will be a daily destination for active
residents and its adjacency to the expansive, secure
outdoor courtyard allows for seamless expansion
into the garden area when needed.
Jeff Dawson
Principal,
STUDIO
Architecture
TRENDS
in Memory Care
