Gentle Care Design Principles:

Our staff follow a traditional Gentlecare approach with each resident. Gentlecare is a comprehensive program designed to prepare professional staff and family caregivers to care for persons with primary progressive dementias. Gentlecare advocates a major shift in focus away from a concentration on the behaviours of the person with dementia, and toward and adjustments of the physical and social environment in which the person must operate. The GentleCare system develops living environments based on the following essential elements:

• Safety and Security: People with dementia lack cognition, reason, and judgement. Their environment must have safe perimeters and their accommodations must be reasonably free from risk. Security measures must be as non-invasive as possible.
• Access and Mobility: Due to confusion and disorientation, access must be clearly defined and lead the person into the appropriate areas. Good access should exist indoors and outdoors. Freedom of movement is critical to good dementia care. Walkways should be inviting, clear of obstacles, and lead the person to where they want to go, or to interesting objects.
• Function and Activity: Prosthetic environments exist to be used by the people who live there. Opportunity for engagement, interaction, and meaningful activities should be non-intrusive and not distract from the home-like atmosphere.
• Individual Control, Privacy, Comfort and Sociality: People with dementia should be regarded as guests. The environment exists for enjoyment and use. The physical space should be designed to invite or direct social contact, give comfort, and respect privacy.
• Flexibility, Choices, Change, Participation, Decision-Making: Dementia is a disease in progress. It involves a widely different group of people. The environment should be designed to accommodate changing needs. The perception that this is the resident’s home governs all activity.