Page 8AA —
COLORADO REAL ESTATE JOURNAL
— November 5-November 18, 2014
Bill Brummett
The keys to creating successful
memory care environments can be
summarized by two simple criteria:
1) How can we
positively
redirect
unwanted behavior, and 2) how can
we support, invite and inspire simple
pleasures that still bring life joy and
meaning?
Unwanted behaviors often include
elopement,
agitated
wandering
and disori-
entation.
To address
these, we
strive for
openness
in floor
plans and
the ability
to preview
spaces.
Creating
engaging
common
spaces
at cor-
ridor ends
and key
junctures in the plan can redirect a
resident’s attention from an exit to a
positive activity or setting. Designing
memorable architectural icons, spaces
or elements with a clear and strong
identity, such as fireplaces, libraries,
snoezelen rooms, greenhouses, or sim-
ply walls or interior volumes with a
unique and memorable finish can help
orient. Flexibility and the opportunity
to easily adapt elements such as door-
ways and bathroom fixtures is also key
in allowing staff to respond to varied
and changing needs.
Simple pleasures are daily joys a
resident can passively or actively
engage in. Natural light and pleasing
views are an example, and can eas-
ily be accommodated by ample large
windows with lower sills and indoor/
outdoor spaces such as safe porches.
Spaces for therapies such as music,
art, gentle exercise, dance/movement
therapy and innovative computer/IT
programs invite residents to continue
to create and contribute in a real and
authentic way.
By embracing such design elements,
we strive to reach our overall goals
for residents and our clients of both
minimizing challenges and creating a
uniquely positive setting that sets our
clients’ projects apart.
Gary Prager, AIA,
LEED AP, NCARB
Memory care is experiencing a grow-
ing demand in the need to support
our aging population with increasingly
sophisticated and inclusive environ-
ments. When creating spaces for
secured
memory
care, three
essential
design ele-
ments come
to mind:
familiarity,
indepen-
dence and
sensory
experience.
Cognitively
impaired
residents,
who gen-
erally
experience
anxiety,
depression,
apathy and withdrawal, are more
dependent on their environment, and
render such elements fundamental to
their sense of place and purpose.
One example of providing familiar-
ity to residents is incorporating a
“Main Street” component (i.e., shops,
café, fitness areas, salon, etc.) into
the design. Ideally, this would include
access from both interior circulation
and the exterior courtyards. While
not a new concept, it has been dem-
onstrated that this can offer residents
a sense of community and space for
enrichment activities.
Addressing the need for residents
to experience independence on a daily
basis is a challenge unique to memory
care design. Designing facilities with
flexibility has remedied some of the
issues around independence, such as
arranging living units in a way that
couples with only one partner expe-
riencing dementia have the option
of living together. This living model
encourages the non-afflicted residents’
sense of freedom, while providing
quality support and care for the part-
ner with dementia. While we tend to
concentrate on public spaces, we must
be mindful that the living unit is an
essential aspect of the design that
supports their personal place. This
includes various environmental cues
to encourage the reinforcement of
everyday personal activities and tasks.
Possibly the most important ele-
ment in memory care is creating a
multisensory milieus. These are dedi-
cated spaces where residents are able
to experience a range of unpatterned
visual, auditory, olfactory and tactile
stimuli to relax or stimulate their
senses, guide their own therapeutic
experience, and encourage purposeful
activity. This arrangement allows for a
method of engagement that can create
feelings of comfort, safety and control.
Jeff Dawson
When STUDIO Architecture designs
for memory care, we focus on resident
independence, dignity, safety and com-
munity interaction. Azura Living’s
Paula
Gibson says
when a resi-
dent’s inde-
pendence
is limited,
it adds to
their sense
of feeling
trapped
and in
some cases
increases
the likeli-
hood of
catastrophic
outbursts.
Our
firm has
addressed
this con-
cern in Azura Living’s four new
memory care projects in Colorado and
Wisconsin by creating looped circula-
tion paths within each neighborhood.
Residents are allowed to move freely
through the space and stop by the
beauty salon, meet a friend at the
open kitchen to prepare a meal or go
on outings at supportive local busi-
nesses.
Our designs focus on resident dig-
nity by including private bathrooms
and ample storage to keep medical
items out of sight. However, since
bathrooms are the number one loca-
tion for falls, our designs frequently
eliminates private showers to address
resident safety and hygiene concerns.
We address the vision, mobility, spatial
planning and recognition deficits of
many residents by eliminating compli-
cated or contrasting floor patterns and
materials. Paula recommends using
the Virtual Dementia Tour Glasses to
see how different colors and patterns
can pose a fall risk to residents.
We use open floor plans in common
areas so caregivers have visual access
to residents during the day, and this
helps promote resident interaction
with their neighbors as well. Finally,
our firm designs each memory care
community with outdoor spaces that
engage residents with recreational
activities, gardening opportunities and
visually appealing focal points. Paula
says that Azura strongly encourages
events such as outdoor concerts and
Bill Brummett
Principal of William Brummett
Architects and past Fellow of
The Institute on Aging and
Environment, Bill Brummett
has specialized in Memory Care
design for over 20 years.
Gary Prager, AIA, LEED
AP, NCARB
Practice Area Lead for the
Senior Life market of H+L
Architecture
Jeff Dawson
Principal and founder of
STUDIO Architecture, a full-
service architecture firm that
is currently working with
memory care providers on
new construction
GROUNDBREAKINGS
Mid-States Senior Living, LLC broke
ground on
Forest Ridge
, a new, 70-
bed acute rehabilitation and skilled
nursing community in Woodland Park
on Sept. 5. The architect is Architec-
tural Nexus and the project is being
built by Golden Triangle Construc-
tion. The project is a collaboration
with Pikes Peak Regional Hospital
and Medical Campus and is being
financed by Sunflower Bank NA.
Health care and clinical services will
be provided by OnPointe Health.
Metro West Housing Solutions broke
ground on Sept. 17 on a new mixed-
income age-qualified apartment com-
munity in the Belmar redevelopment
in Lakewood,
CityScape at Belmar.
The project architect is Studio Com-
pletiva and Palace Construction is the
general contractor.
Elisabeth Borden and Gavin McMillan of The High-
land Group celebrate with Rosemark.
Rosemark Development Group held a
groundbreaking ceremony on Oct. 15
for its 80-unit assisted living and
memory care property in Denver,
Rosemark at Mayfair Park
. Br ink-
mann Constructors is the general con-
tractor and the architect is Studio
Completiva. The community will be
managed by Christian Living Ser-
vices.
OPENINGS
Gardens at Columbine
, an assisted
living community in Littleton, opened
its new 26-unit memory care resi-
dence on Sept. 20. The community
was designed by Van Tilburg, Ban-
vard & Soderbergh and was built by
JHL Constructors.
Balfour at Riverfront Park
in Low-
er Downtown Denver opened in Octo-
ber. Balfour at Riverfront Park is an
upscale 250-unit independent living,
assisted living, and memory care
community developed by Balfour
Senior Living and AEW Capital. The
architect was Robert A.M. Stern Ar-
chitects and the contractor was JE
Dunn Construction.
SALES
The Union Printers Home
, a land-
mark nursing home and assisted liv-
ing community in Colorado Springs
since 1892, will be sold to Heart Liv-
ing Centers of Colorado LLC, based
in Salina, Kansas, according to the
Colorado Springs Gazette. Heart Liv-
ing Centers took over management of
the 122-bed community on Sept. 19.
The terms of the sale have not yet
been disclosed. The buyers expect to
complete their purchase by year's end,
but plan few changes in the historic
Colorado Springs property
.
Elisabeth Borden,
Principal
The Highland Group, Inc.
This section is excerpted from The Highland Group’s
e-newsletter,
Market Watch
There is no
area of senior
care or hous-
ing where the
right design is
more important.
Thank you all
for sharing your
best practices.
eborden@
thehighland
groupinc.com
Elisabeth
Borden
Principal, The
Highland Group
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