Micala Gingrich-Gaylord traveled to Japan about two years ago and immediately noticed something different about the way that country treats its older generation.
“Cafes … hire elders. 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.
At other businesses, the changes are as simple as switching to chairs with arms — and without wheels — to help people with mobility issues feel more stable.
“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 who 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.
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.”
In recent years, some movie theaters have started offering special screenings for people with autism or other sensory disorders. At those screenings, theaters turn the house lights up and the sound down, and people are able to move around and talk more freely.
Gingrich-Gaylord said the approach can be similar for older people and those living with memory loss.
“People with dementia need what we call wide open spaces,” she said. “They need spaces that are accepting and welcoming and allow them to kind of freely be without all of the restrictions of, ‘Oh my gosh, am I doing this right?’”
The symphony group talked about having shorter concerts for older people, or sending soloists or small groups to perform at assisted living centers.
Tim Storhoff, executive director of the Wichita Symphony, said the training offered a new perspective on how to be more welcoming for all ages.
“This was so easy to do, it was fun, and I think this is ultimately going to be good for business,” Storhoff said. “And it’s the right thing to do.”
If enough local businesses participate, Gingrich-Gaylord envisions an easier day out for people living with dementia — and the people who care for them.
“One day, somebody could hop on the Q Line with Mom or Dad, (and) they could have this really lovely day where they feel connected to the community,” she said.
“And that's a lot of what people with dementia need, is just that consistent and continued connection. … Just because your brain is changing doesn't mean that you don't need all of those normal things that we all need.”
