This nursing home mimics real-life neighborhoods to provide alzheimer’s patients with higher quality living
(Educate Inspire Change | Michelle Estevez) Growing old comes with the benefit of seeing your family grow, reflecting on warm memories, and sharing wisdom with the youth. However, the physical and mental aspects can affect how some view the world. There are more than 3 million Alzheimer cases per year. Lantern is an Ohio based nursing home mimics childhood neighborhoods to provide Alzheimer patients with higher quality lifestyle options. From sky painted ceilings to cozy bedrooms, patients feel as though they are participating in society while exercising their minds.
Nursing home mimics real-life neighborhoods
The design strategically implements sounds, visuals, and scents to reinvigorate a zest for life and inspire the elderly to continue to grow. The painted ceilings dim as the day continues which keeps their circadian rhythm balanced as the day continues. Sounds of birds chirping travel along the hallways to create an outdoor feeling. There is even a “Main St.” where patients can commune in between personal and group activities.
“People are not with us to quietly fade from society, but come to us to live a dignified life. We know that the human spirit glows until we take our last breath,” says John Makesh, CEO of Lantern, Senior Living Center. “Our residents are our number one priority, we do everything possible to ensure they are safe, healthy and well cared for,” Makesh continues.
It’s more than meets the eye. While the facilities at Lantern resemble a typical town, they also offer multiple programs to stimulate the mind and strengthen muscle memory. The approach is science-based while also having a strong foot in the power of hope.
“Hope gives life! Hope paves the path for new ideas. If all of the caregivers and providers start thinking and approaching every individual with Alzheimer’s from a treatment and care perspective, imagine what we could do collectively to impact the larger good. If we give up hope, the incentive and motivation towards fixing a problem or an issue is destroyed,” Makesh shares in an interview.
Source: Educate Inspire Change
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