This little row of houses, complete with rocking chairs on the porch, is actually a US nursing home, designed to take people with dementia back to their past.
This unique home is the work of Lantern Assisted Living CEO and founder Jean Makesh, who was inspired to create the design after working as an occupational therapist for a nursing home chain.
When some of his patients began showing signs of dementia, he didn’t know what to do. “I thought I knew a lot about being elderly in general, but when I started engaging with these residents on a one-on-one basis, I realised ‘oh my God, I have no clue,’” he said in an interview with Upworthy.
Knowing they couldn’t stay in assisted living, he knew the home would either have to build a memory-care unit or transfer the residents.
A firm believer that environment has a major impact, he began researching a range of therapies, including music and aromatherapy.
History in the making
His solution: “What if we design an environment that looks like outside? What if I build a unit that takes residents back to the ‘30s and ‘40s?” he recalls.
Now instead of rooms, each resident lives in a little “house” along an indoor courtyard reminiscent of their childhood neighbourhoods to help them feel comfortable in their new surroundings.
The ceiling has been replaced with a digital sky that grows darker as the day goes on to keep residents’ biological clocks in tune.
Floors are carpeted in green to recreate the look of grass, while music and nature sounds such as bird calls are piped in during the day.
At meal times, scents such as peppermint and citrus are also pumped in to encourage residents to eat.
Dementia care with a difference
As well as nursing and care services, the facility also hosts a range of activities such as family nights, cooking club, massages, and weekly shopping trips.
Opened in July, it’s Lantern’s third community in Ohio and Mr Makesh is already planning to expand the concept to other states.
With over five million people living with dementia in the US, it’s an alternative that’s sure to appeal to many.
See a video tour of the home here.
