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My time with Epoch has made me see design in a very different perspective. The role of design in a dementia care environment is about about creating something which is primarily for an audience who may or may not understand, but it sure does play a very crucial element in dementia care, as it not only improves the well being of residents with dementia but also enables care providers to create a  conducive environment.

Design of an elder-friendly home determines how a resident can relate specific places for specific activities, understand the time of the day and ability to register that with vision and be more oriented.   This does not necessarily involve new build but can be as simple as rearranging furniture. 

For me working on environment design for dementia care has come to revolve around 4 basic principles;

- Reduce risk
- No monotony
- Reduce obstruction of vision
- Simulation

**Reduce Risk**

Eliminating risks is the first principle of elder care design. Usage of grab bars in washrooms and safety rails in beds, no loose rugs & mats, making sure items of furniture do not have sharp corners or if they are, cushioning them as per requirement, making the floors non slippery, making the doors unlockable so that in case the person with dementia has a fall and  is unable to unlock the door are some of the basic to-dos in the first stage of creating a safe environment for an elderly even for someone who isn’t suffering from dementia. Exit doors must have a discreet padlock for additional safety. All of this while still keeping them aesthetically pleasing i.e. not making them feel restricted or have any kind of negative impact on their well being 

**No monotony**

Bland, boring and repetitive environment is actually confusing for someone affected with dementia. Using solid bright colours for distinctive things like couches, specific walls helps residents associate walls and things with their location and uses. Patterns could trigger confusion and disorientation. Keeping different places in an assisted living home distinctly different helps to know the way around easy and oriented and dissuades wandering and confusion.

**Reduce obstruction of vision**

Enabling the resident to have clear visual access to what’s around and the direction of other locations is very crucial as it helps them understand where they are in their environment. For example, setting up a living area the residents can see through an open door to the hallway or to the dining area and when at the dining area can see to the kitchen or the living area or other rooms, having large windows to look outside.

Additionally having a circular hallway allows for wandering without encountering a door every few minutes which often results in increase in anxiety

Ample natural lighting is another important consideration. Evening lights must be tested to rule out poor reflections which can aggravate confusion.

**Simulation**

Simulation is the process of imitating of an environment or process. An unhelpful simulation may distress and confuse residents with dementia, and this includes all of the senses. Solutions to this may include painting murals to hide doors that are not to be used and reducing excessive signages. Another example would be a bathroom done up too fancily with decor et al can take away the focus from it’s actual purpose. 

Whereas in case of helpful simulation, environmental cues such as colour, objects or a view enable people with dementia to better find their way around and made environments more meaningful. Rightful engagement of simulation will encourage more accurate wayfinding in the homes, drive the desire to engage in activities at different locations of the home and distract them from agitation. Use of familiar or same furniture from home can be a huge help in reassurance and building  orientation.

It is very important to understand what could be the trigger points in the environment which accelerate behavioural symptoms or repetition . While the above-mentioned points have been pivotal for me around which I have worked on design for dementia care, but every new day I learn something new about dementia and work on how to tackle it through design and at Epoch, everything has to be evidence-based, for it to be considered as a part of the whole personalised care process.

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Importance of environment design in dementia care

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There’s the music of sarod playing in the background while I write this, helps me write my memoirs!

When I was a child, I used to write diaries. What’s enticing to me at that point in time was the smell of new vintage-looking pages, and a unique feeling to ink it down. It all started then. Who knew the passion for writing would grow so strongly on me!

Hi, I’m Sneha, Business Assistant & Content Writer at Epoch. Yes, I own these words and wear them with pride. The journey to earn this was pretty savage, and I’ll like you to be a part of this! Hence, sharing a page from my memoir.

It was the dawn of the year 2020 when I promised myself to come out of the University with a Mass Communication and Journalism degree in one hand and a placement in other. Things started turning upside down when the covid wave came along and washed away all the aspirations I had of starting my career in a corporate world. Later that year, after graduating, I started freelancing.

Little did I know that the universe had something else up in its sleeves.  On 1st Feb, I started my journey at Epoch, and it’s already a year now! I’ll need pinches from myself to believe so. When I stepped out of my comfort zone, came to a new city, I met amazing people, especially women, who inspired me in the most unusual ways. It is my sheer luck and fortune that I landed in Epoch right after college. The journey of amazement and learning didn’t stop for me, I would say.

How often does it happen that a CEO of an organization holds your hand, mentors you, and walks you through your journey? Well, happened to me and to all those who started anew! Here, at Epoch, I saw myself under the guidance of domain experts. From each one of them, I learnt something, both applicable in personal and professional lives. My team pushed me one notch beyond my threshold, surprisingly that brought different colours to my work. To date, I am told to be the owner of not only my projects, but also my decisions, successes, and failures. I am learning.

Epoch has played a vast role in shaping me into Sneha 2.0. If you know me and don’t believe, let’s go out for a cup of coffee! A confident and radiant Sneha, you’ll see.

Epoch homes abode elderly those who need dementia care and assisted daily living support. When I started, I was briefed about dementia but the understanding of the daily life of a senior 75+, came to me when I was in their presence. Recently through one of the Epoch webinars, I heard a doctor/geriatrician say, and I quote, “there’s a person still behind the dementia patient”, and this made me realize how naïve are we to not notice this in our elderly loved ones!

Amidst the pandemic, there were fewer interactions with our elderly residents, regarding their own safety. But whenever I got the chance, covered in PPE kit, I would jump to know each one of them. With some I sang era old songs, with some I recited poems of Harivansh Rai Bachchan, Dinkar, Nirala, with some I learnt the concept of perspective, with some I learnt fashion, some taught me to live life with a bang, and that’s what I am doing!

Epoch in a way turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I would like to stop the roller coaster of my emotions here by simply being grateful. One day, when I close my eyes, I would love the memories with Epoch to roll in the cassette of my life. 

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To Epoch, a cassette of my life

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I want to share my unique professional journey with you. Personally, I have been someone who is always up for trying new things.

In August 2014, after completing my training as a General Duty Assistant, I got placed at Epoch Elder Care as a care attendant.  Even though I had prior care training, being a care attendant in an assisted living home was new for me and there was much to learn, especially about dementia care. At Epoch, everyone is encouraged to ask questions whenever they do not understand, your colleagues and seniors will answer them patiently and help you understand your issues. I realised how tough life can be with dementia and at Epoch I was able to increase the quality of life of elders with dementia and this was very satisfactory for me. 

Given my inclination to try new roles, back in 2018, I was chosen for the role of Admin Assistant which was a huge change for me professionally as I was moving from  care to an administrative role. With much support of senior colleagues, I was able to manage this role with confidence. Here I learnt new skills like vendor management, maintenance planning, and working with multiple departments. Being an ex-care attendant, I was able to understand the importance of this role where I had to ensure the upkeep of Epoch homes and how crucial it was for our care attendants to take care of our residents. Iss dauran maine apni life ko bahut hadd tak personally, professionally and financially grow bhi kiya hai (During this time, I was able to grow personally, professionally and financially). 

Then in January 2020, I saw an opportunity to move to a new role within Epoch as a Human Resource (HR) assistant and I confidently took the leap. Given my prior experience as a care attendant, I was quickly able to connect to prospective candidates for Care Attendant role and understand who could be a good fit at Epoch, and I learnt the aspect of people management. Ab dedication and guidance of my manager and colleagues ke sath grow kar raha hun or hope aage bhi yun hi grow karta rahunga. (With the dedication and guidance of my manager and colleagues, I am learning & growing  ,and will continue doing so!)

Thanks to Epoch, I have been able to understand this industry well and grow myself professionally in many different perspectives by gaining many new skills.

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Trying new roles and gaining new skills at Epoch

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I want to share my journey so far with Epoch Elder Care. I started my journey as a care attendant with Epoch’s Monet house at Pune location on 15th May 2016 and sab kuch naya tha mere liye (everything was new to me). It was a great year well spent at Monet house; and bohot kuch sikhne ko mila (great learnings came along). Under the guidance of our Facility Managers and Facility Nurses and other care attendants, I was properly trained to look after our residents. Epoch work culture bohot welcoming and unique tha mere liye (Epoch culture was welcoming and unique for me) - where the team was great & they treated me like a family member. Not only this, the relationship and bond I developed with residents was an amazing feeling. The concept of dementia and its management was something jo mujhe dhire dhire samajh aya. (The concept of dementia and its management was something I learned over a period of time).

After the completion of one year, the management decided to transfer me to Epoch’s other home (Vermeer House) in Gurugram. I was happy with the decision for two reasons. Firstly, my learning was about to expand and secondly, my hometown was nearby. After working as a care attendant for a year and a half at the Vermeer House, the management decided to promote me to the role of Head Care Attendant. Finally, my dedication & honesty paid off. My responsibilities increased and I had to oversee all errands related to our residents, other care team members, and the house overall, which I enjoyed throughout.

Then again on 1st May 2019, I was offered a role change based on my skills and eagerness to work. This time the management decided to offer me the role of Admin Assistant, which I accepted confidently. It was challenging at first, but with the constant guidance of the then corporate team, I managed with quite ease.

Epoch has not only helped me professionally but also personally. It is here that I met Sarita (Care Attendant at Vermeer House), married her and started another chapter of my life. She is always there to support & motivate me. 

During the outbreak of COVID-19, around Feb 2020, I was handed over the role & responsibilities of an Office Assistant in the new Vermeer house at Gurgaon. Covid ke first wave me hume bohot kuch naya experience karne ko and samajhne ko mila. Ye time humare liye bohot difficult tha but hum sabne milkar Epoch and ek doosre ko sambhala. (New learnings came along whilst managing and experiencing the first wave of coronavirus. It was a difficult time, but we managed to pull through). I was presented with the COVID warrior award. Epoch ke saath ab itne memories jud gaye hain ki yahan har koi apna sa lagta hai. 

Epoch me hamesha kuch na kuch naya sikhne ko and samajhne ko milta hi hai and mere liye bohot unique experience banta raha hai.

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My journey of multiple roles at Epoch

My time with Epoch has made me see design in a very different perspective. The role of design in a dementia care environment is about about creating something which is....

Importance of environment design in dementia care

Abhishek Mohanty , Design & Marketing

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