If your family includes one of the 5.1 million people living with Alzheimer’s, I hope you’ll connect with me on DesignAllz.com, where I’m working on my mission of designing for Alzheimer’s.
I had an idea.
While I was visiting my dad at a memory care facility, where he lives with others like him dealing with memory loss issues like Alzheimer’s, I wondered how the interior designers decided on the colors, layout, and other parts of the physical space. And how does displaying an old wedding dress, shopping cart, and baby dolls in a crib help my dad?
As with everything else that I’m curious about, I wanted to talk with experts. So I started looking for experts to interview on our talk show MyFixitUpLife. I was baffled that an Alzheimer’s design expert does not exist. Alzheimer’s is the 6th leading cause of deaths in the United States, and a third of seniors die with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia.
I’m frustrated that we just aren’t talking about it in world of design. And I think we could help make a real difference in extending the time that family members who have Alzheimer’s can stay living happily and safely in their own homes. Since my dad has Alzheimer’s, this is not just an abstract mission, it’s a personal mission as well.
After trying to find a design expert in this area, and not finding anyone… I decided to take on the mission to create some kind of design resource for families who are dealing with Alzheimer’s. I’m working with my favorite kitchen/bath designer colleague to create an online design resource for families who are dealing with Alzheimer’s and dementia. Karen Sayler and I are focused on design solutions, from paint color to cabinet height to plumbing fixtures to lighting to rugs and safety concerns.
I’m starting to work with my local Alzheimer’s Association, and through the network of thoughtful designers, kind care givers, and make-a-difference motivated building product brand managers, and ‘home’ thought leaders, we’ll be connecting every Wednesday at 3pmET on Twitter to start a worldwide public conversation about designing for Alzheimer’s.
Eventually we hope to launch a virtual consulting experience where families can fill out a questionnaire, and then Karen or I would video chat with the family, with the goal to create drawings, color palette, samples of flooring, counters, etc., and pretty much everything needed to do the home enhancements necessary for that family to stay happily together at home for as long as possible. And of course, we could include a list of locally vetted contractors to help complete any of the suggested improvements.
Designing for Alzheimer’s is more than just a personal mission to help my dad. I see in the faces of the families visiting loved ones where my dad lives. We are all uncertain about what we can do, and how we can help. Since design is my go-to tool of how to make life more beautiful and easier to navigate life’s curveballs, this is what I’m choosing to help make a difference for every one of the families in that 5.1 million statistic facing the day-to-day questions and uncertainties.
I’d love to learn any tips or ideas you’ve tried in managing Alzheimer’s in your family. Please share a comment below, or talk with my right now on Twitter or Facebook. -T
I too am interested in facility designs for assisted living and memory care. After helping my mother in law find an assisted living facility and touring several in our area, I was surprised at the lack of outdoor space in most facilities. Dead-end walking paths. Outdoor courtyards with only one bench. No outdoor paths residents could walk for exercise. My uncle had alzheimers and he loved to walk. He loved having doors to go through so he felt he was going somewhere. Memory care facilities need to have outdoor wandering paths in a courtyard where they can still be outdoors but not wander off the facility grounds. Fresh air, the sound of birds singing, crickets chirping, clouds blowing in the sky, trees rustling in the breeze all seem to me to be an important part of the well being of a person.
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