Environments for Aging - Fall 2017 - 15

BULLETIN
Edited by Anne DiNardo

Left and below: Town Square is being built
inside a warehouse to resemble a town in the
1950s featuring themed storefronts, such as
a city hall, movie theater, and pet shop, with
activities based on reminiscence therapy held
within each area.
Historical artifacts will be used to create
as authentic a setting as possible; however,
all the design features must be approved
by Glenner's board of directors, which
includes doctors and Alzheimer's experts
who have provided feedback on details such
as dementia-friendly colors and materials.

Talk of the town

DOUGLAS PANCAKE ARCHITECTS (IRVINE, CALIF.)

A new adult day care center for seniors living with Alzheimer's disease
and other forms of dementia will be reminiscent of life in the 1950s

George G. Glenner Alzheimer Family Centers Inc. uses reminiscence therapy at its day care centers
for seniors with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia, relying on familiar items to help
bring back memories and prompt conversations. As part of the program, the staff plays old music,
shows pictures, and encourages participants to interact with a classic car. Lisa D. Tyburski, director
of business development at George G. Glenner Alzheimer Family Centers Inc. (San Diego), which
operates three California-based adult day care centers in San Diego, Chula Vista, and Encinitas,
says seniors with dementia often become frustrated because they're
aware that they're not remembering things and have difficulty following
conversations. "Independent research has shown that when you can
bring them to a place where they do remember and they do relate, it
reduces agitation and improves mood and sleep," she says.
Next year, the nonprofit organization will engage seniors even further
when it opens Town Square, a 9,500-square-foot immersive day care
designed to look like a town from the 1950s (a time when most of its users would have been in their 20s or 30s). The center is being built inside
a renovated warehouse in Chula Vista and will house a variety of settings
such as a diner, museum, car repair shop, city hall, movie theater, and
library. "The whole environment will be immersive," Tyburski says. Seniors
will rotate to different areas within the town for assigned activities, based
on their interest. For example, there will be a department store where
seniors can "shop," a museum curated by the San Diego Air and Space
Museum to explore, and a diner where meals will be served.

For example, Tyburski says the project team
selected a neutral flooring instead of a traditional checkered floor for the diner, because
individuals living with dementia may perceive
a black square in the flooring as a hole.
Douglas Pancake Architects (Irvine,
Calif.), which specializes in senior living
architecture, provided the initial architectural renderings, while San Diego Opera
Scenic Studio (San Diego) will manage set
design, with Marsha Sewell & Associates
assisting on the interior design. Developer
Village Holdings LLC (San Diego) is funding
the $650,000 in tenant improvements to the
warehouse space, which will begin this fall,
and Glenner will lease the space.
Tyburski says Glenner will close its
existing Chula Vista location once Town
Square opens and plans to replace its
other two locations with immersive environments, before expanding the concept
nationally.-Anne DiNardo

Fall 2017 * EFAmagazine.com

http://www.EFAmagazine.com

Environments for Aging - Fall 2017

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Environments for Aging - Fall 2017