Many dementia-friendly communities offer frames or “shadowboxes” on the wall outside of residents’ rooms. These shadowboxes are customizable and meant to be unique to each resident. Unfortunately, many communities stuff their residents’ shadowboxes full of knick-knacks and call it a day. While you are absolutely able to put knick-knacks and trinkets in your loved one’s …
How many times have you walked into a senior living community and found bizarre, boring, or just plain unattractive artwork on the walls? I know that I have seen this time and time again. Many times, the artwork has almost no rhyme or reason, is hanging in a weird spot, and has a too-large, gold frame …
You just found out that a loved one has dementia. You know there’s a lot to learn and understand about dementia care: how best to communicate, what dementia is, where a person with dementia can live, and how to deal with the physical and behavioral challenges that you’ll be facing. But where do you start? …
Why are Life Stations so important in dementia care? The photo featured here is from Brookdale Burlington, in Burlington NC. This is one of the first Life Skills Stations that I ever designed. It is simple and fits well in an awkward space. The Baby Station featured here became an immediate hit with the residents! When …
How can you make a bathroom (called a “spa” in some communities) more relaxing and dementia-friendly? Rachael: Fights and bathing go hand-in-hand in dementia care. It’s one of the biggest challenges surrounding the care of a person with dementia. They don’t want to bathe, and you don’t know why. The good news is that most …
What is this space? Rachael: This is an interactive “word wall,” designed after something cool and similar I saw on Pinterest! There wasn’t much going on with this wall beforehand—it was just being used for pictures. I decided to frame it out and use magnetic paint to make it something fun! What materials did you …
What is this space? Rachael: This was (and still is) the Nurses’ Station. It’s probably the most important part of this Skilled Nursing Facility, but it also makes it look like a hospital. In order to make it more familiar, I wanted to turn it into something the residents would recognize and enjoy: an old-time …
What is this space? Amanda: A vanity station for use in an alcove or corridor near a spa or salon. What materials did you use? Amanda: We used an existing vanity and body form. We purchased jewelry and hat stands; scarves and hats of various bright colors; jewelry in varying textures, colors, and sizes. Why …
What is this space? Rachael: A space for art, both music and drawings or paintings What materials did you use? Rachael: The hardest part was finding a piano. After I got the piano moved in, the space really came together. I put up twine and small clothes pins for the art, and found wood at …
What is this space? Rachael: This is a welcome space that goes along with my “5 & Dime” area. The space is right outside the Nurses’ Station and features two brand new, red vinyl chairs. It also features a retro-looking CD player and tool collage. What materials did you use? Rachael: My favorite piece here …