Dementia Care Campus

2022 NAHB Best Memory Care Community
2022 Design Environments for Aging Certificate of Merit
2022 Senior Housing News Silver Award
2022 Gold Nugget Award of Merit—Best Service Enriched IL/AL/Memory Care

This project creates a state of the art center for teaching best practices in care for persons with dementia.

The Dementia Care + Education Campus is dedicated to living well with dementia. It provides state of the art care for persons with dementia while teaching about the disease to lessen the stigma. The DCEC hopes to lead the development of more effective, innovative ways to treat the effects of dementia.

To support this program, Lizard Rock Designs has created a campus that provides authentic connection between residents, family, nature, and the surrounding established community. That connection helps preserve the residents’ sense of self and combat isolation, confusion, and fear about dementia. The site is adjacent to two churches to the north, a high school to the east, and the Arcadia neighborhood to the south. The well-known profile of Camelback Mountain is prominent to the northeast and helps reinforce a sense of home.

The project includes adult daycare, child daycare, assisted living, dementia care, and palliative care. Buildings for each care type are grouped like a village around the garden at the heart of the campus. Paths in the garden connect to patios outside each building. Residents are encouraged to walk to shade structures, to the adult daycare for activities, or to the café for coffee with a family member. Adult and Child Care share a patio with movable glass walls on both sides to allow for intergenerational activities. The interaction is natural and rewarding – as the caregivers note “children don’t see dementia”. Throughout, low walls provide inobtrusive boundaries to allow views to adjacent areas while preserving safety.

Details:

Total Size: 44,000 sf + 32,000 sf parking
Cost: $20,900,000
Construction Completed: 2022