New dining venues at LiveWell, an assisted living and memory care community in Plantsville, Conn., elevate the concept of participation to a new level by engaging residents living with dementia, rather than excluding.
Formerly the Alzheimer’s Resource Center of Connecticut, the community has spent 25 years honing a philosophy for dementia care that focuses on fostering retained abilities and building new skills.
A major redevelopment of the community’s campus gave LiveWell the chance to express that philosophy through design, particularly with a new Resilient Living Center that features two new dining destinations.
The centerpiece of the Platinum award-winning project, submitted to the 2026 EFA Dining Competition by RLPS Architects and RLPS Interiors (Lancaster, Pa.), is the Test Kitchen. Here, residents at all levels of care are encouraged to assist with meal preparation and assembly alongside staff and family members. The second venue, the Gathering Café, offers a more casual experience with indoor and outdoor seating anchored by a double-sided fireplace.
Dustin Julius, partner at RLPS Architects, says the owner challenged the project team “to question many of the assumptions that have traditionally shaped memory care environments.” With the Test Kitchen, for example, the team didn’t ask “‘How do we keep people away from cooking?” Instead, he says, they asked, “How can we teach safe cooking skills?”
But Julius emphasizes that “participation isn’t all or nothing.” In the Test Kitchen, residents can gather around an island where staff cook food, taking an active part in the preparation. For those residents who prefer to observe, integrated audiovisual technology lets them watch demonstrations from surrounding tables.
Jurors appreciated the project for creating an inclusive experience that combines dignity, autonomy, and wellness. “It was clear the team put tremendous thought into supporting quality of life for residents,” one juror remarked. “They reimagined the traditional dining room, designing a space that accommodates all levels of ability.”
Read more about the 2026 EFA Dining Competition winners here.
