Assisted living communities seem to be created by building consultants with a college degree in boring. One beige hallway turns a corner into another beige hallway, leading residents to believe they have entered a science fiction dystopia.
Upgrading to dementia friendly interior design replaces those endless corridors with proper memory care hallway navigation.
Instead of “Wing B, Third Floor,” visual landmarks assist in navigation. Consider a painted mandala rock, a flock of ceramic dachshunds, or a moose head. Now you know where you are and remember where you’ve been. Using environmental cues works far better than abstract room numbers. Senior residence architecture and design isn’t just about floor plans; it’s about giving community members a reliable landmark so they don’t navigate themselves into someone else’s living room.
In this episode, Mark Niemann-Ross describes his six-month experience inside his Mother-In-Law’s Senior Residence.
This is an excerpt from My Favorite Mother-In-Law, available as audiobook, ebook, or in print.