Parker at Monroe (PAM), designed by Spiezle Architectural Group, welcomed its first residents in December 2014 and was dedicated in March 2015.

The long-term care community features six individual “small homes.” The homes serve a total of 96 skilled care nursing residents and are interconnected to a commons building. The commons building serves as the “club house” and offers a variety of experiences and activities. The physical setting resembles a village, featuring a series of small-scale houses articulated with gable roof forms, traditional exterior materials, front porches, chimneys, and gardens.

Sixteen residents with similar needs live together in each small home. Suites (88 private and four shared) have fully accessible bathrooms designed to support mobility and ease of assistance. The floor plan for each small home is an open “L” or boomerang shape that maximizes visibility and passive supervision. Each half of the home includes its own living room. Subscribing to the concept of delivering “stealth” services, the floor plan includes spaces designed to conceal care aid equipment.

The small-home model, with architectural enhancements and other innovations, is intended to produce a range of benefits, from boosting the time residents spend meaningfully engaged socially to slowing cognitive decline.


The bathrooms also contribute to the uniqueness of the facility. Empirical data and research suggested ADA-compliant placement of toilets in resident rooms was not the best option for providing assistance to seniors. To test it pre-construction, the initial design was taped out in the basement of another Parker facility and tested by the design team and staff. That information led to design changes and the construction of a full-scale mock-up that was tested by the design team, staff, and residents. Additional changes resulted in the toilets being moved away from the wall and the installation of two-sided fold-up grab rails, allowing for performance that exceeds ADA guidelines. This design accommodates nine types of bathroom use and transfer and also improves staff safety.

Similarly, ADA shower dimensions were adjusted to improve wheelchair or shower chair (versus bench) assistance for the in-room showers. Shower size and shape improvements are based on empirical research to increase resident safety and staff safety.

These toilet/bathing rooms were initially rejected by the state's plan review agency for not being ADA compliant. After presenting the research and data, the Department of Health and Community Affairs accepted the design and granted a waiver.