The desire to aid dementia patients with therapeutic remedies for the frustrations and confusion associated with Alzheimer's, a physical therapist turned CEO helped conceptualize a design for a controlled environment that would take people back to what they know. Patients struggling with dementia often remember from age 21 and younger. Therefore, the physical therapist designed an assisted living facility that looks like the 1930's inside.
The facility specializes in caring for patients with Alzheimer's. The hallways have day and night skies and green on the floors for grass. Lights posts and fences line the doorways that patients can enter and exit as though they are going in and out of homes in a neighborhood. The appeal for this type of facility is strong. “I would love this. Having your own porch without actually having to go outside looks amazing,” said one observer of the cutting edge design.
The goal with these controlled environments is to rehab patients into performing functions of daily living in hopes of possibly returning home within 10 years. Some patients have been able to re-learn how to dress and feed themselves. For more, read the story.
