Therapeutic kitchens for residents with dementia

Abstract

Long-term care facilities are increasingly incorporating some sort of kitchen, often referred to as a therapeutic kitchen, for resident, staff, and family use through remodeling efforts or new construction. A study, consisting of five site visits and a questionnaire mailed to 631 facilities providing dementia care, was conducted to identify physical features that are typically included in therapeutic kitchen design and to explore how these features support daily use in relation to activities programming and food service systems. Findings indicate that universal design features should be incorporated to a greater extent and certain features are more common, reinforce homelike imagery, or enhance safety. Results also suggest that a higher number of residents participate in more recreational activities, such as baking, than they do in household chores, such as meal set-up, and therapeutic kitchens are not always linked to food service systems.

Impact of the Design of the Built Environment on People with Dementia: An Evidence-Based Review

“…Two studies at evidence level 2 showed that changing seating arrangements resulted in increased communication (Götestam & Melin, 1987; Melin & Gotestam, 1981). The two studies at level 5 found that a homelike dining atmosphere with a small number of people eating together led to more resident-directed conversations (Roberts, 2011), and that a homelike therapeutic kitchen can become the center of activity (Marsden, Meehan, & Calkins, 2001). Two further studies at level 5 suggest that a non-institutional, homelike environment supports residents' engagement in daily activities and informal social interactions (Campo & Chaudhury, 2012; Milke, Beck, Danes, & Leask, 2009).…”

A study on the formation of a measurement scale for the environmental quality of Taiwan’s long-term care institutions by the Delphi method

“…The existing literature showed that a kitchen can increase residents' purposeful activities while decreasing the BPSD of those people with dementia (Marsden et al 2001;Sloane et al 1998). The investigation of relevant floor plans of institutions in Taiwan revealed that only a few of the institutions had kitchen equipment in public spaces (Huang et al 2008;Wang 2008;Wang and Tzeng 2006;Yin 2004).…”

Special care for persons with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias in Virginia adult care residences

“…The focus on staff training and program activities is laudable and can lead to high quality care. Programming for persons with Alzheimer's disease or related dementias might include involving the resident in recreational domestic tasks, 25 Montessori-based activities, 26 or multisensory stimulation using pets, games, music, and scrapbook review. 27 To deliver such care, facilities may want to seek support and guidance for direct care staff from a recreational or other therapist trained in dementia care.…”