MEMORAVILLA: A VILLAGE-TYPE DEMENTIA CARE COMMUNITY DESIGNED THROUGH NEURO-ARCHITECTURAL APPROACH
In contradiction to several misconceptions, the term “Dementia” is not a disease but rather an umbrella term which is used to describe various signs and symptoms related to behavioral and mental disturbances and difficulties that resulted from various causes. In the Philippines, World Health Organization (WHO) describing dementia as one of the top 7 “disabling chronic diseases” in the general population. Based on the statistics 11.9 percent of ageing population ages 65 years old and up has varying types of dementia. Also, according to the Health Systems Research Management (HSRM) of the Department of Health, as the population ages, it would be a risk for the population to increase the number of people having dementia. Changing family structures and the heavy burden of care have made institution-based care one of the options of a growing number of families. As part of the recommendations of the HSRM in the research on the status of dementia care services and workforce in the Philippines, the challenge in the part of government, medical institutions, health care communities, and even in architecture is the need of developing a dementia care community in the Philippines that will offer long term care for people living with dementia and opens awareness to Filipino people. Also, part of the requirements in the development are research and training facility for the medical field for the future workforce of treatment and care for the demented people.
The proposed “MemoraVilla: A Village-Type Dementia Care Community Designed through Neuro-Architectural Approach” is envisioned to design and develop a village-type dementia care community that provides long term care, assisted living care and day care activities for people with dementia; research and training program for dementia care workforce; and will boost awareness to people; incorporating the principles of Neuro-Architectural approach and the underlying architectural concept of a dementia village in the context of Filipino cultural values. Dementia Village is a new concept in long term care for people with dementia which provides a cutting-edge elder care facility. Neuro-architecture is the study on how the body and brain respond to the built environment, therefore it was defined as built environment designed with principles of neuroscience which establishes spaces that encourage memory, improve cognitive abilities, avoid stress and/or stimulate brain. It emphasizes the role of neuroscience and man’s sensory perception in relation to architecture.
The project was guided by the principles of Juhanni Palasmma, a perception
architect, he once quoted that “Architecture is the art of reconciliation between
ourselves and the world and this mediation takes place through the senses”. This
philosophy is embodied in the neuro-architectural approach which is the study of the
how the brain respond to the built environment. There are five areas related to
architecture: Sensation and Perception, Learning and Memory, Movement, Emotion,
and Decision. These five areas were linked to the design for dementia guidelines
which are Comfortable and Stimulating Memory, Distinctive Environments, Legibility,
Accessibility, Familiarity, and Safety.
The proposed project will be located in Antipolo City wherein according to the
PSA has the largest population of ages 65 years old and up with the total number of
24,939 as of 2015 Census. This consideration is due to the fact that the prevalence of
dementia cases can be found in ages 65 years old and up. Specifically, the site is
located at Provincial Road Brgy. Dalig, Antipolo City and accessible through the E.
Rodriguez Avenue provincial road.
The proposed MemoraVilla will be comprising of six core facilities such as
Building Administration Facility, Healthcare Facility, Research and Training Facility,
Public Awareness Facility, Building Management Facility and Ancillary Facilities.
These facilities comprise specific roles and functions for the program development and
services management of the entire development. The heart of the development will be
the Healthcare Facility which is classified into three fundamental healthcare
approaches for people living with Dementia such as the Pharmacological, Non-
Pharmacological and Nursing Homecare. Pharmacological treatment will emphasize
the role of the medical field in providing necessary medical drugs for the welfare of the
demented people. Non-Pharmacological treatment will highlight the significance of the
built environment in providing the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual needs of
the demented people especially in enhancing their cognitive, behavioral and functional
status. And, Nursing Homecare will be responsible for the long-term care and assisted
living care for the people living with dementia which are categorized into Economic,
Socialized and Charity Homes depending on the preferences of the patients and
families. Research and Training Facility will be the foundation of the future development and advancement of the dementia cases research, awareness and
response in the Philippines as far as the Medical field, Architecture field, and
Government are concerned. This Facility will be the source of dementia care workforce
in the Philippines as an answer to the unprepared response of the country for the silent
epidemic disease. Public Awareness Facility will serve as the eye opener of the society
regarding the dementia prevalence in the Philippines. This facility holds the
Community Involvement Center that encourages different sectors of the community to
raise awareness in our country. Integrating the community to the project will benefit
the entire community with or without dementia as they will know the proper care and
preventive measures in dealing with this silent epidemic disease.
Major facilities will be planned providing connections such as street or path
walks which encourage demented people to roam freely and safely throughout the
entire development. The MemoraVilla will be catering 190 dementia patients. This
estimation of the expected users is in accordance to the capability and sustainabili ty
factors of the specific type of development and also the compliance of the site to area
required of each facilities. Also, in patterned to the average number of enrollees, the
training program of this project will be catering 320 trainees, and will be divided into
two shifts. The program will be provided with 4 lecture rooms and each lecture room
will be accommodating 40 trainees per shift.
The proposed development will adopt the Contemporary and Tropical
Architecture as its general architectural character. The harmonious combination of the
two architectural style guide will define the sensibility and setting of the development
for the welfare of its users especially the dementia patients. This project will uphold
the form and sensibility of a Filipino Architecture. In this manner, the general form of
the proposed development will be based from the adaptation of the climatic and
environmental aspect of our country which is in a tropical setting. It will be designed
through a timeless architectural setting that will promote the sense of place in their
retained memory and the future viewpoint that will never last over time and will allow
a vision for future expansion for the development.
Significance of the Study
For the users, it will architecturally respond to the needs and preferences of
people living with dementia by providing a better long term care community wherein
the demented people would experience safe and comfortable living environment,
enjoy the normal life they used to have and concludes a meaningful life for the rest of
their lives. The success of this study will benefit the target users or the people living
with dementia in terms of attaining more societal attention and having better place
wherein they can live for the rest of their lives.
For the society, it will promote public awareness and community support for
people living with dementia and it will serve as a job opportunity to our professionals
and other allied medical workers in the medical field especially our very own
caregivers. This will also encourage our government, medical institutions, care
industry and academe in the Philippines to extend more effort to an extensive and
intensive research and development for the proper long term care and treatment to
people with dementia. The success of this study will benefit our society for it will be a
multi-disciplinary effort from the government, medical and architecture field, and other
professional fields down to the heart of our society which is the family.
For architecture, the research implies a comprehensive approach to a long
term care community for people living with dementia in the context of Filipino cultural
values through the integration of neuro-architecture principles and the concept of a
dementia village. In line with this, the study will provide architectural solutions and
recommendations for the betterment of dementia care in the Philippines. This is to
promote a comfortable and safe living environment that will architecturally respond to
the needs and preferences of people with dementia. The success of this study will
benefit the architecture field locally and internationally for it will open a door of having
a prototype long term care community and research facility for people living with
dementia. This study will also inspire and encourage the architecture field both the
academe and the professionals to conduct more research and development for a more
comprehensive involvement of architecture in responding to our medical
insufficiencies.
MEMORAVILLA: A VILLAGE-TYPE DEMENTIA CARE COMMUNITY DESIGNED THROUGH NEURO-ARCHITECTURAL APPROACH
JOHN PAUL B. RODRIGUEZPOLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES
My mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease 7 years ago, almost when all hope was lost due to several failed attempts in making her healthy. My desire to see her permanently free drives me into searching the internet for possible solutions which led me to a video about Alzheimer’s disease on YouTube, I met with a comment on how an herbal doctor cures Alzheimer patients with natural herbs. I collected the doctor's contact and reached out to him, we talked about it and he asked few questions about her physical challenges which I answered, and then he prepared the herbal medicine and sent them to me here in Tennessee with prescriptions on how to use attached, I ensured my mom took the herbal medicine accordingly and in 3 weeks of using this medication, we began to see improvement in her health and now, I am so glad to share this testimony that after 8 months, my mom is permanently healed from this horrible disease called Alzheimer, and now she is living her best life. Contact Dr. Rohan via dr.rohanronjohn@gmail.com you will come back for your testimony
ReplyDeleteMake me a promise Bianca, my mother said. "Promise me you won't put me in a home or make me live with one of your sisters". It was a joke at the time when my mom was just starting to forget things. 06/08/2019 was the hardest day of my life. Watching my mom talk to herself, packing her things 2-3 times a day, saying she has to go home. It was heartbreaking. I broke down and cried with her a few times and then I realized how hard it must be on my dad too. He can't leave the house, he has to convince her that she lives in their house. I came to the decision to quit my job. My dad needs help. I live 7 hours away but instead of visiting my parents, I'll be visiting my husband. My mom has always been there for me and been my best friend so I want to be there for her. I keep telling myself that I can snap her out of it. I got her numerous medications including DONEPEZIL and MEMANTINE instead of helping her, they almost destroyed her due to the side effects. As I was reading more about Dementia on the internet, I met with some comments of people testifying about Dr. Rohan and his BRONGEE HERBAL SUPPLEMENTS that it works for Alzheimer's and Dementia. I contacted the doctor immediately and explained my mother's condition to him, he assured me that my mom will be fine and her memory will come back to normal. I ordered his Herbal Supplements and it was delivered to me here in Canada by DHL courier company in less than a week with instructions on how to use them attached in the package. After 3 weeks of using these herbs, we began to see improvement, after 6 months my mom was better, and it's been 2 years now and my mom is completely free from this horrible disease called dementia. In case your loved one is suffering from Alzheimer's/Dementia I will advise you to use BRONGEE HERBAL SUPPLEMENTS it may also help you. You can contact Dr. Rohan via email; dr.rohanronjohn@gmail.com and Whatsapp; +393512146722 to get yours.
ReplyDeleteMy mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease 8 years ago, almost when all hope was lost due to several failed attempts in making her healthy. My desire to see her permanently free drives me into searching the internet for possible solutions which led me to a video about Alzheimer’s disease on YouTube, I met with a comment on how an herbal doctor cures Alzheimer's patients with natural herbs.. I collected the doctor's contact and reached out to him, we talked about it and he asked a few questions about her physical challenges which I answered, and then he prepared the herbal medicine and sent them to me here in Tennessee with prescriptions on how to use attached, I ensured my mom took the herbal medicine accordingly and in 3 weeks of using this medication, we began to see improvement in her health and now, I am so glad to share this testimony that after 8 months, my mom is permanently healed from this horrible disease called Alzheimer, and now she is living her best life. Contact Dr. Rohan via dr.rohanronjohn@gmail.com you will come back for your testimony.
ReplyDeleteGreat tips regrading dementia . You provided the best information which helps us a lot. Thanks for sharing the wonderful information.
ReplyDelete