ADVERTORIAL Q&A with Alicia J. Nicolay Director of Senior Living Spellman Brady & Company Describe your business in one sentence. Spellman Brady & Company is a national interior architectural and design firm specializing in all types of senior living housing where our talented teams design meaningful spaces for our clients, residents and staff. What's one major design or care delivery trend that's shaping your work today and how so? Resident health and wellness combined is key throughout the Life Plan Community. I'm proud to say our experience in hospitality easily supports the changing needs of the active adult demographics. We create memorable, inviting spaces that encourage the residents to be social and active which promotes their spiritual, emotional and physical well-being. In what sector of senior living do you expect to see the most growth in the next few years? We are all very aware of the staggering statistics for memory care. It is clear that a majority of the growth will be from the changing demographics of our aging population for the sheer reasons that individuals are living longer. This is a subject that I hold very close to my heart. I personally have dealt with the struggles of seeing someone very close to me lose their memory due to Alzheimer's. Because of this, the importance of designing customized spaces for this specific population has become a passion of mine, as well as others in our office. Tell us something surprising about your company that people may not know. In addition to our communities creating healthy lifestyle environments, we also practice this philosophy within our office. We have a "wellness committee" that organizes quarterly office Lunch and Learns that host experts presenting topics such as organic food and nutrition labels. The committee coordinates healthy eating, water and Fitbit challenges along with a newsletter. The challenges are a fun way to keep us active and stay healthy! www.spellmanbrady.com Bethesda Hawthorne, Entry/Library, St. Louis. Photo: Alise O'Brien Environments for Aging * special advertising section 79http://www.spellmanbrady.com http://www.spellmanbrady.com