Journeying to the past and taking a stroll down memory lane is no longer just a possibility for residents of Tessera Brandon, but rather a reality made feasible by the facility’s newest amenities: memory care stations.
Memory care stations are designed to elicit long-term memories by recreating familiar situations from the past. Tailored to residents suffering from Alzheimer’s and dementia, Jill Andrew, director of marketing at Tessera Brandon, stated that implementing these new technologies was an inevitable step in revolutionizing the care offered by the senior assisted living and memory care community.
“It was just time,” said Andrew, “and the residents themselves wanted to do something meaningful for memory care.”
Located within the niches and insets of the facility’s hallways, these spaces are organized in a manner that makes them easily accessible to residents, whether they are visiting the life stations independently or participating in activities alongside their peers. Because the purpose of these stations is to encourage these individuals to recall elements of their past more readily, the current stations are decorated to resemble five aspects of everyday life.
The music station was the first one finished, featuring an antique piano and a backdrop decorated with piano keys that adorn the wall. Additional instruments available for use in this space include ukeleles, xylophones, maracas and tambourines. Incorporating scarves, hats, costume jewelry and purses, the vanity station features a vanity and is meant to imitate the practice of getting ready.
Complete with stuffed and electronic animals, the pet life station intends to evoke past memories of time spent with furry friends. Items such as brushes encourage residents to interact with these props. The handyman station is a workbench that includes high-grade tool replicas. There, residents have the opportunity to sand wood and work with gears.
Lastly, the tactile/sensory station features materials like a plaque covered in feathers and common household items like marbles. Beyond just fidgeting with these props, this station allows residents to spark conversations with one another.
Alongside purchasing new items and making use of current materials, Tessera Brandon regularly accepts donations from members of the surrounding community. By working with networking groups of the Greater Riverview and Valrico FishHawk chambers of commerce, for example, Tessera Brandon has been able to incorporate items such as purses, brushes and jewelry to fill these spaces.
“Our community around here is just phenomenal,” said Andrew. “People want to do good, people want to give back, and so it’s an opportunity for them to do so.”
Intending to expand the memory care station project, Andrew states that the next station will likely feature either an office or a nursery design.
For more information on memory care stations and additional opportunities available at Tessera Brandon, please visit www.tesserabrandon.com or call 813-607-6880. Tessera Brandon is located at 1320 Oakfield Dr. in Brandon.
