LiveWell - Dementia Care Community Updates

Campus Transformation for a Dementia Care Community

Since 1992, the dementia care specialists at LiveWell have focused exclusively on supporting individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Building on that foundation, this campus transformation expands and strengthens a dementia care community designed to support greater independence, lifelong learning, wellness, and meaningful engagement for people living with dementia and their families.

The first phase introduced the River Homes, two innovative small house residences that incorporate technology and design strategies to support greater independence. It also added the Resilient Living Center, a campus hub where purposefully designed spaces support education, wellness, dining, creativity, and social connection for campus residents and people from the surrounding community.

The second phase renovates existing assisted living and skilled nursing neighborhoods to provide greater privacy, stronger connections to nature, and direct access to secure outdoor spaces. Together, these improvements help redefine life with dementia by creating environments that support autonomy, purpose, and everyday living.

Photo credits: River Homes & Care Residences: KG Visuals | Resilient Living Center: Nathan Cox Photography

Project Highlights

Client:
LiveWell

Location:
Plantsville, CT

Services:
Master Planning

Architecture

Interior Design

Type:
Senior Living

Memory Support

Adult Daycare

Small Houses

We asked people living with dementia and their families to co-design a home they would choose to move into.

Phase One

The River Homes

The River Homes provide a new assisted living housing option redefining life with dementia.

The result of a planning process involving people living with dementia to help define programming objectives, these well-appointed residences provide a unique living arrangement for people with dementia who need limited support.

Independent Living

Small Houses

Paired homes share a quiet room, great room and covered deck on the first floor and lounge, four-season room and green roof patio space on the second floor. Elders living in the River Homes will have access to LiveWell’s Center for Resilient Living for additional engagement and enrichment opportunities, as well as the licensed assisted living care residence if additional support needs arise.

Large residence with stone — Each River Home residence provides a co-living setting, for seven elders and one care partner, with all of the comforts and human scale of a traditional home.

White kitchen with center island and wine fridge — The River Homes include a fully-equipped kitchen, dining space and four-season room.

bedroom with open door onto balcony — Many of the resident rooms have direct access to the balconies at the rear of the River Homes.

Sun room with white wainscot, — The bright sunroom celebrates Connecticut's coastal setting.

living room with piano and couches — The homes include comfortably-scaled and varied social spaces.

living room with fireplace — The River Homes feature a high level of detailing consistent with a private residence.

Rear view of home with individual garages — Parking for care partners and additional campus staff is tucked under the building and accessed from the back where the grade drops down.

In addition to serving current LiveWell residents, the Resilient Living Center extends its services to people from the surrounding community.

The Resilient

Living Center

The Resilient Living Center enhances LiveWell’s adult day programming by providing purpose-built spaces to explore interests and pursue passions through classes, workshops, arts, cultural, social and wellness opportunities.

The design result is an open and engaging collection of distinct adult day and community education venues, each specially imagined for a unique function and creating opportunities for authentic interactions.

Individual program areas include classrooms, a visual arts room, exercise equipment studio and yoga/movement studio, wellness treatment rooms, a theater, media room/learning lab, four seasons room and dining terrace. The building plan is organized around a curving central corridor that promotes transparency between the program spaces and interstitial zones. Stone and wood materials wrap from the exterior façade to the interior in several locations, encouraging users to touch, feel, and interact with the architecture.

Exterior view of LiveWell CRL building with stone and glass walls — Glassy corridor links allow participants to see what is going on both inside and outdoors – inviting them to naturally explore and participate.

LiveWell teaching kitchen demonstration — Demonstration/test kitchen invites participation

LiveWell performance space with piano and seating — Theater has specific design components to define its primary purpose, but does not have a sloped floor or fixed seating so that it can also be used for meetings and classes which are held on a regular basis.

LiveWell greenhouse with dining and activity tables — Greenhouse adjacent to test kitchen provides year round gardening activities and biophilic benefits

LiveWell courtyard with walking paths, seating area, and flowers — Resilient Living Center courtyards encourage exploration and freedom of movement

LiveWell dementia positive community art studio — Instead of a variety of activities happening in a single space, areas such as the visual art studio are purpose-built so participants move through a variety of spaces throughout their day.

LiveWell cafe with barista serving drink to two people — The Gathering Cafe is popular both with program participants, residents, and staff providing casual interactions throughout the day

Reimagining

Dementia Care

The second phase of the transformation includes complete renovations of current skilled nursing and assisted living spaces to promote more privacy and nature connections.