ADAPTING SENIOR LIVING COMMUNITIES TO RESIDENTS' CHANGING SENSES


TASTE AND SMELL Our sense of taste and smell are linked and they can have a profound eff ect on our ap- petite, our mood, and our memories. “Of all our senses, the sense of smell is the one that won’t change over time,” says Roel Ventura, ambient designer at Ambius, which provides plant, décor, and scent services to senior liv- ing communities. Scent can bring us back to certain times in our lives and help us make connections to our past even when we can’t see or hear as well, he says. Popular scents include lavender, fresh linen,


cookies, and bread baking. While lavender can be calming, the smell of cookies or bread bak- ing have been linked to helping increase appe- tites in older residents. A recent observational study by Consumatics and Rentokil Initial found that introducing the scent of fresh bread before and during meal times resulted in a fi ve percent drop in malnutrition levels for residents.


The combination of environment, visu- ally appealing meals and scent can create a multiplier eff ect to stimulate appetite. ore communities are moving to open kitchens because the combined eff ect of the sight and smell of food often entices residents to eat more, Bradley says. The sight and smell of food can be an important reminder to eat, especially for residents that experience Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, he says.


TOUCH As we age, our skin becomes tender and eas- ier to damage so senior living communities want to be careful not to use furniture that has rough fabrics or sharp edges, Maddale- na says. It’s also important for the furniture to have smooth fi nishes that are easy for res- idents to grasp because they often use the arms of a chair or the table to lower and lift themselves into their seat.


Some communities are using touch as a


way to help residents fi nd their way by cre- ating textured walls that are used as land- marks, Bradley says. It’s natural for residents to touch the walls as they use the handrails so it makes sense to use texture as a land- mark. “We try to do a feature wall in each room that has a diff erent texture,” he says. This signals to the residents whether they are in the living room or the dining room or in a hallway. Understanding the science behind how


our senses change as we age is critical to designing a comfortable senior living com- munity, Maddalena says. In fact, he predicts that designing for the fi ve senses will become even more prominent as baby boomers age because that generation is much more in tune to the mind-body connection than previous generations.


THE ROLE OF OUR SENSES IN MEMORY CARE


The fi ve senses play an essential role for residents receiving memory care services, says atricia Durham, East Region lead life enrichment director at Heritage Senior Living in West Allis, Wis.


Sight and Sound Residents enjoy having soothing sounds and engaging sights to look at, Durham says. Heritage Senior Living created a Snoezelen oom, which is a therapeutic setting to help residents with dementias reconnect with their environment using sight, sound, touch, and scent to initiate sensory stimulations in the brain that help reduce anxiety. Residents can look at colored lights that create stars and a moon on the ceiling or videos of kaleidoscopes to help calm or entertain them, she says.


The Snoezelen Room at Heritage Court Memory Care Community in Eau Claire, Wis.


Heritage also uses music to engage residents. “eople who you can’t get to respond in any other way will respond to music, especially if it’s music they remember or have some emotional connection with, Durham says.


Touch and Smell


One way to engage memory care patients is through touch. Heritage


recently began washing each resident’s hands and face prior to mealtime with a washcloth lightly scented with orange to engage the residents and help stimulate their appetite. Heritage also uses lotions scented with chamomile to help soothe residents who are agitated.


36 SENI LIVIN EECTIVE / ISSUE 3 2017


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