Description:

Designing a physical environment suited to Alzheimer's patients' special needs - which currently afflicts 4,000,000 Americans -- and doing it on a restricted budget was the principal challenge in creating the Alzheimer's Family Care Center (AFCC). 

A collaborative effort of Rush University Medical Center's Alzheimer's Disease Center, the Alzheimer's Disease Association and the West Side Veterans Administration Medical Center, the facility provides day-care and family support services to a fast-growing client list.  John H. Driscoll, Alter+Care President, who previously was responsible for real estate development at Rush, retrofitted AFCC's 1950s-vintage 11,000 SF commercial building on Chicago's northwest side to accommodate up to 75 patients a day in six basic patient groups.  AFCC's physical environment comfortably accommodates eight to 10 concurrent activities geared to various stages of Alzheimer's.  One windowless interior space accommodates people easily distracted by outside movement.  AFCC's interior, secure terrace and traffic pattern design encourage more mobile individuals to move around freely and assure that no one can leave without being seen by the staff.

Contact Information:

John Driscoll
President
Alter+Care
(847) 568-5871
jdriscoll@altergroup.com