After you’ve made the decision to move your loved one into a memory care community, sorting through the different terminology and language can be a daunting task. One term that’s often thrown around by memory care communities is that their community is “purpose-built” for memory care. However, what exactly does this mean, and what difference does it make? Below, we’ll walk you through these questions!

What does “purpose-built for memory care” mean?

A community that is purpose-built means that it was built with the intention of being a memory care community from the start! While it may seem like this would be every memory care community, that is not the case. As the demand for memory care increased over the past decade, many assisted living communities would just convert one hallway of their building and call it “memory care” because the hallway is locked, but they were not striving to actually meet the needs of memory care residents. Purpose-built means that the building was intentionally designed with the needs of memory care residents in mind.

What are some features of a purpose-built community?

Below are some features that we have that make our communities purpose-built for memory care. Not all communities that are purpose-built will have the same features, but they will typically have some similarities. While touring communities, be sure to ask about what specific features make their community purpose-built.

• Small, home-like setting

• Easily accessible common areas

• Color-coded hallways, making navigation easy for residents

• Spacious, secure courtyards

• Shadow boxes at each resident’s room to help them identify their room

• Aquariums, aviaries, and other animals

• Illumination that gets brighter and warmer throughout the day, following the natural rhythm of the sun

• Smaller, simple bedrooms encourage the resident to spend their days in the common areas

• High contrast grab bars and other fixtures in the bathrooms

• High contrast handrails in the hallways also make wayfinding safer

• Door handles and faucets are designed to be easily grabbed and turned

• Lots of natural sunlight through large windows or sunrooms

• The whole community is on one floor, living solely on a second or third floor of a building can be scary for someone with dementia

• Hydration stations

• Easily accessible kitchen and staff to help serve residents

• Staff are easily recognizable, all wearing the same bright-colored uniform

Why is it important to look for purpose-built communities? 

Simply put, purpose-built communities will be the best environment for your loved one to thrive! The different features are all designed to help residents with dementia and Alzheimer's. Additionally, the attitude behind purpose-built communities is that they are there to help residents thrive despite dementia. Generally, this will be evident not just in the design of the building, but in the culture of the staff as well.