Micala Gingrich-Gaylord traveled to Japan about two years ago and immediately noticed something different about the way that country treats its older generation.
“In the entire community of Tokyo, which is massive, you could see it everywhere,” Gingrich-Gaylord said. “This reverence for elders, and support.”
As CEO and president of ComfortCare Homes in Wichita, Gingrich-Gaylord returned home thinking Wichita could do more to welcome older citizens — and, in particular, people living with dementia, and their caregivers.
She launched the Purple Line Project. It’s named for the Tokyo trains that are painted purple to designate them as elderly-friendly. Purple is also the color for Alzheimer’s awareness.
As part of the project, Gingrich-Gaylord trains Wichita-area businesses and attractions on things they can do to better accommodate people living with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. One goal is to guard against the loneliness that can accompany those diagnoses.
“Aging processes can isolate folks,” she said. “We want to think about: How can we expand the community around them, and it not just be, ‘This is where they live, and that’s the only place they can be.’”
Changes don’t have to be huge or costly. The Monarch restaurant in Delano developed a simplified “Purple Line” menu that helps customers with dementia order without feeling overwhelmed.
The Wichita Public Library started offering memory kits that feature games, puzzles and other activities caregivers can use to engage with loved ones experiencing memory loss.
The Wichita Art Museum planned to stock magnifying glasses to give visually impaired people a closer, clearer look at the art.
“This is just, what are the two or three things you can do to elevate your practice so that you’re more compassionate (and) accessible?” Gingrich-Gaylord said. “And then these folks who need our resources and want to be in community can still do that.”
Businesses that take the training get a “Purple Line” sticker to put on their door, and their names are added to the Purple Line Project website. So far, there are more than a dozen, including Botanica, Old Cowtown and the Wichita Wind Surge and Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers.
During a recent training with members of the Wichita Symphony, Gingrich-Gaylord reviewed the basics of memory loss and urged the group to think about what caregivers face.
“It is not easy to take a person with dementia — who is really struggling, maybe, with symptoms or behaviors — to even lunch, let alone to a symphony performance,” she said. “But the benefits of it are astronomical.”
For infromation about joining the Purple Line Project, call (316) 272-0655 or visit comfortcarehomes.com/purple-line-project.
Suzanne Perez is news director at KMUW at host of its show The Range, where this story first appeared.
