I first heard about this facility when I attended the IV Congress of National Dependency and Health by Alimarket in Madrid during the first week of March. I am grateful for Maria, who presented at the conference and told us more about Rey Adrid and the work she does as the director of one care home within the network. This is a new care home that opened up 

I was deeply fascinated by this one nursing home that is specialized in dementia care. This concept is not a dementia village but rather a care home focused on individuals who have Alzheimer’s’s Disease and other dementias. Rey Adrid came to realize this after evaluating their other care homes and seeing how they can improve and do better. 

Again, this idea of structural design continues to surface across my travels. I enjoyed how this building has clear windows and one central garden. They have also created a specific space where it is open and the residents can walk around. It was crucial for them to create a space where residents are able to go outside and again access the balance between reward and risk. The social worker mentioned how such spaces help calm some of the residents. 

Residents are able to roam around throughout the care home which I found unique as this often does not occur in care homes I’ve visited. It is important for them to ensure this older adult still has the ability to decide what to do and when. 

They created separate floors but with common rooms where each floor is its own nursing home within the larger context. Again, this idea of creating co-living spaces and making them smaller in order to provide more person-centered care. I really enjoyed how they had a chair where you can have a table but it creates a circle. Again, we are no longer looking to separate residents but bring them together. 

Another unique thing about this care home is the training that all staff members receive. Prior to joining the team, you are trained and receive continual training on dementia care by the group. They have developed a program where the care workers know what they might expect and how to handle the situation. This is crucial as many of the best facilities that I saw provided ‘better care’ when it came from a place of training and continual educational exposure. 

They look forward to opening the doors to the community in the future to ensure more community awareness. Additionally, develop intergenerational programs with the nearby school. We must continue to ask ourselves how we create meaningful spaces and invite others into these spaces for long-term change. 

Thank you again for your support Maria and Laura to learn more about this care home! I look forward to the next time our paths cross again.