December 1, 2000 | 
by I Advance Senior Care
by I Advance Senior Care Design Center December-2000
| Arden Courts of Avon |
| Avon, Connecticut |
| Type of Facility/Setting: Director: Architecture Firm: Resident Capacity: | Alzheimer’s Assisted Living Peter C. Schilling, Sr. Law, Kingdon, Inc. Wichita, Kansas (316) 268-0230 64 units 28,000 sq. ft. (on 8 acres) $4.6 million $164.28 Thomas Giroir Photography, Hartford, Conn. |
| ADMINISTRATOR COMMENTS Peter C. Schilling, Sr., Director, Arden Courts of Avon: “We’re excited to offer Connecticut residents the most current model of Alzheimer’s assisted living design. Every detail is designed with the safety, security and personal freedom of residents in mind. Homelike living areas surround a Village Commons, which includes an arts and crafts studio, beauty and barber shop, cafT, library, community room, country store and healthcare center. And visual, tactile and sensory cues are available throughout. |
| “Our facility is set up to enhance sensory experiences. There are always cooking or baking smells from the cafT, perfumes and other aromas from the beauty salon and even pipe tobacco scents from open humidors in the library [although the facility is smoke-free]. Music plays from music boxes in the home living room, as well as from CD players in the cafT. The sense of touch is important; residents are encouraged to feel the various wall surfaces of the Village Commons ‘buildings’ [stucco, brick face, etc.] and to handle the items on the store shelves in the General Store, items that are safe and interesting to handle, such as hatboxes, model cars and wooden knickknacks. |
| “Residents are able to walk in and out of their ‘houses’ and through the secure outdoor courtyards at will during the day. This degree of freedom requires a staff that is trained to monitor and record residents’ whereabouts on an hourly basis and to engage residents in one-on-one activities. Our program services staff have group activities that begin after breakfast and run until after dinner, seven days a week. “From our experience we know that, for these residents in the early-to-mid stages of Alzheimer’s disease, a facility like ours can help them retain their current abilities and skills, and maintain their independence. In this setting, residents are able to socialize, make choices and participate in the activities that they most enjoy.” |
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