today i learned about jean makesh's initiative to design nursery homes to help alzheimer's patients remember where they grew up. you can read about it here: jean makesh is the CEO of lantern assisted living facilities, and what led him to design these homes was the confusion that alzheimer's patients go through. he wanted to minimize this confusion and disassociation from the present by creating living spaces in an environment reminiscent of a 30s-40s neighborhood.
to do this, he replaced the floor with fake grass, and used aromatherapy/sound therapy to emulate a 30s-40s environment, which improves cognitive strength in patients. the ceiling of the facility is made of screens that simulate the sky, with this sky changing according to the time of day to keep biological clocks in tune. additionally, each resident would live in a separate house-like unit rather than a room, so that it would feel authentic. there is also a main street at which residents can gather and socialize. this environment has already been tested and utilized in lantern's branch in madison, ohio. additionally, makesh plans to implement it in two other locations. makesh's goal with these redesigned homes is not only to make patients comfortable, but also to emphasize that there is hope for people suffering from dementia, as most professionals usually give up on creating a stable environment for dementia patients.
i think it's absolutely wonderful that makesh is using his compassion for alzheimer's patients well-being to create a facility that helps them feel at home in confusing times. what i appreciate about this approach is that makesh acknowledges at the start of the project that he wants to do more for the patients' benefit and does thorough research on how he can do that for them. this is the kind of compassion integrated with design that i also want to follow in my life.