E19 – Notes from the Field: A SAGE Post-Occupancy Evaluation
A multidisciplinary SAGE team conducted a post-occupancy evaluation (POE) of LiveWell River Homes and Resilient Living Center, recipient of the 2025 EFA Design Showcase Award of Merit, to examine how clearly articulated design values of normalization, autonomy, and person-centered living are performing in daily practice. The POE integrated leadership interviews, resident and staff focus groups, environmental walkthroughs, and on-site observation to compare stated design goals with lived experience.
This presentation highlights how LiveWell’s philosophy is translated into everyday life across two intentionally distinct environments. Examples illustrate how the River Homes function as true households, with residents and staff consistently describing a strong sense of “home,” meaningful independence, and social connection. Outside the households, the Resilient Living Center operates as a purposeful “destination,” offering prevention-focused programming, education, and community engagement that extends impact upstream of dementia progression.
The presentation will also include critical lessons learned. These will include design choices that strongly favored residential authenticity and autonomy. By moving beyond “pretty pictures,” this session examines the tradeoffs inherent in bold, person-centered design and offers concrete insights into how environment, culture, programming, and risk tolerance interact in this dementia-supportive setting.
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