What is Namesake?
Namesake provides a thoughtfully designed atmosphere intended to captivate our memory care residents as they engage with life in familiar settings. These curated spaces serve as a reminder that all is not lost. Namesake installations are active tools for reinvigorating our residents’ sense of instinct and home.
Understanding the Impact of Namesake
Namesake experiences are intentionally crafted with memory care residents in mind. How can we bring a familiar scene or setting to life in a safe, yet captivating way? From the scenes we create to the items included, every element is intended to appear as life-like as possible so that our residents can build and maintain confidence and self-worth while participating in the routines each scene emulates. We are able to provide lifelike accessories to these spaces by creating many items by hand such as the food and packing in our market installations, or custom-built cribs in our nursery experiences. Engaging with Namesake encourages instinctive action, fosters community among residents, staff, and loved ones, and provides ample opportunity for cognitive exploration.
Exploring Namesake
Namesake was first unveiled at The Haven at Lake Oconee in early 2025. Boasting two such spaces, our memory care residents love to spend time in our nursery and garage settings. In the nursery, residents interact with the familiar routines of caring for a baby. The nursery space features lifelike dolls, baby clothes, toys, rocking chairs, and custom-built cribs to reduce the strain when lifting a baby. Residents feel right at home as they tend to the baby’s needs. In the garage, residents are greeted by a familiar array of toolboxes, garage art, and several building stations. The toolboxes are filled with safe tools that appear realistic, and that can interact with other building elements included in the station. Both Namesake installations encourage memory care residents to engage their fine motor skills, but beyond that, they offer our residents a tangible sense of purpose and joy!
In July 2025, we installed three Namesake experiences at Aiken Memory Care - a garage, a nursery, and a market. The garage and nursery include similar accessories as those included at the first installation site, but the market installation is our latest offering. Featuring handcrafted food items such as pastries, seafood, canned goods, and more, the market is filled with lifelike accessories for our residents to engage with.
“Residents who were once quiet now engage with smiles and stories, families say their visits feel more meaningful, and staff use these spaces daily to connect in new ways. In my many years of senior living, I have never seen anything quite like what they’ve been able to build both physically and emotionally.”
- Michelle Johnson, LPN, CRCFA
Executive Director, Aiken Memory Care
Too often, memory care settings rely on child-like environments which can unintentionally strip residents of their dignity. Namesake was born out of our belief that every resident deserves a space that feels familiar, purposeful, and adult. That’s why every element included in Namesake installations is intentionally curated, and often handmade, by our creative strategist.
Preserving Legacies with Namesake
Namesake is distinct because of our emphasis on legacy preservation. Families are invited to sponsor and dedicate a space in honor of a loved one, ensuring their memory lives on through an environment that brings purpose and joy to others. For example, “Benjamin’s Garage” may feature the integration of his heirlooms, creating a tangible bridge between the past and present. Namesake is a living tribute. Each dedication carries a story, allowing residents and families to connect through shared experience. Namesake creates sacred spaces where memory, identity, and community converge.
Namesake is not just an innovation – it is a redefinition of what memory care environments can be: warm, purposeful, dignified, and healing. We believe our residents deserve to be surrounded by settings that reflect the richness of their lives and the legacies of those who came before them. With Namesake, we are rewriting the history of memory care experiences, one meaningful space at a time.
View the Namesake gallery below:
