In today's episode, Sarah Macdonald tours Hammondcare’s dementia-specific 'small household' cottages in Adelaide with general manager Marie Alford and advisor Yasmin Lai, exploring how design and care can help aged care feel more like a home than an institution. 

They reveal the secrets of these cottages: hidden clinical equipment, resident access to working kitchens for snacks and cooking, and 'no-fail' garden pathways that support safe outdoor wandering while providing the 'dignity of risk'.

The conversation covers matching residents by needs and personalities, de-escalating conflict, practical communication strategies, and sensitive issues like intimacy and consent. Marie and Yasmin also discuss why 'sundowning' can be an unhelpful label, urging that carers instead pay attention to unmet needs like pain, hunger, boredom, and routine.

Ageing parents? You've got them. We've got you.

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Credits:
Club Sandwich is brought to you by Vera, helping families caring for ageing parents navigate this stage of life so you don't have to do it alone.

Check out 'Put The Kettle On' – Vera's free conversation guide: the five questions worth asking your ageing mum or dad, at putthekettleon.com.au

Credits:
Sarah Macdonald – Host + Executive Producer
Melissa Reader – Commissioning Editor, Executive Producer + Clubber
Justin McArthur – Executive Producer + Editor, for P. Zinner Podcasts (https://pzinner.com.au)
Thanks and kudos to Sean Wayland for our theme music Club Sandwich — hear more at https://seanwayland.com