#68 Designing for Dementia Environments with Jennifer Sodo, Perkins Eastman

Design Voice Podcast

Jennifer Sodo is a leading expert in the design and planning of dementia living environments. A senior associate with Perkins Eastman’s senior living practice in New York City, Jennifer translates her own and others’ research on biophilic design and whole-person wellness into thoughtful designs to create healthy and meaningful places for older adults living with dementia. She speaks regularly at conferences and industry events and has published articles and papers on a variety of topics pertaining to senior living. Jennifer is also co-host of Perkins Eastman’s new Shaping Dementia Environments podcast, a show that explores uncommon thinking in design for dementia through interviews with industry leaders.

In this episode, Jennifer shares how, like many others in the field, her personal experiences drew her to the senior living practice. She talks about innovations and the guiding principles in the design of these spaces, and gives her pitch on why emerging professionals should join this area of work. We also have a super interesting conversation about podcasting! Not many architecture firms have produced their own podcasts, and Jennifer and her co-host’s show was the first of its kind at Perkins Eastman. Jennifer shares her experience with creating the show, if others at Perkins Eastman will be following suit, and her thoughts on if more firms should start producing their own podcasts.

Resources / Links:

• Shaping Dementia Environments Podcast
• Missing Main Street: Reconnecting Older Adults with Dementia to the Fabric of Authentic Living
• Hogewey: The Un-Model Model
• Being Mortal, by Atul Gawande

-

We want to hear from you! Please send your feedback to [e-mail] and follow the show on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/designvoicepodcast