walls that heal: murals reshape dementia care at st. joseph’s villa
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laurier gagnon spends time with his wife jeanne, in the gardenway neighbourhood at st. joseph's villa in sudbury, ont.
john lappa
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sudbury star
residents strolling through st joseph’s villa’s secure unit can now stop to admire blooming gardens, familiar landscapes and scenes that evoke memories of the past, thanks to a new therapeutic mural project aimed at enhancing quality of life for those living with dementia.
beyond the calming scenes found throughout the unit, the doors to residents’ rooms are adorned with murals designed to resemble the front doors to traditional homes, many featuring colourful stained glass. this initiative is designed to help decrease disorientation and improve wayfinding for those with memory loss.
the families of residents and staff were involved in the process of selecting the murals for the room doors. laurier gagnon chose one for his wife jeanne’s door. honouring her middle name, rose, and the happiness she once found in tending to her flower garden, he selected a stained-glass image with flowers.
“this is so fantastic,” he said. “the environment has changed, just the feeling coming in is different.”
he said the space no longer feels like a hospital or workplace but instead offers a calm, restorative atmosphere that uplifts residents, caregivers and staff the moment they enter.
francine dorion, senior administrator for st. joseph’s villa and long-term care at st. joseph’s health centre, stands next to a mural located in the gardenway neighbourhood at the villa in sudbury, ont. on wednesday june 3, 2026. john lappa/sudbury star/postmedia network
john lappa
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john lappa/sudbury star
the secure unit named gardenway is located within st. joseph’s villa and is home to 32 people with dementia. and so, murals that were selected for this area follow a garden theme. because many residents are unable to go outdoors, the murals help carry them into the calm, restorative feeling that a garden naturally brings.
“it just changes your mood,” said gagnon, who spends every day at st. joseph’s villa with his wife.
research on dementia-friendly design shows that therapeutic murals can help reduce agitation, improve orientation and create a more calming, familiar environment for residents in long-term care. by incorporating home-like imagery and clear visual cues, such as doors designed to resemble residential entrances, these environments can support wayfinding, evoke positive memories and enhance overall well-being.
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st joseph’s villa partnered with sensory-scapes, a cambridge, ont.-based collective of artists and creators who specialize in transforming senior care environments into visually rich, engaging spaces. the company combines expertise in behavioural support, dementia-informed and long-term care design, and innovative print media to create fully customized murals for walls, ceilings, doors and windows.
“i wanted to make it feel like home,” said francine dorion, senior administrator at st. joseph’s villa. she oversees operations of long-term care at st. joseph’s health centre.
some spaces are designed to feel like a living room, with one mural depicting shelves filled with books, period pieces like a radio, corded landline phone and a typewriter – items that can bring comfort and familiarity to seniors with dementia.
“they do go back in time with their memory so they can reflect and think, this was in my house back then,” said dorion.
each section of the unit is painted in a different pastel colour, helping residents navigate the hallways more easily. the overall effect of the enhancements is a more inviting environment that feels less institutional and more personalized.
dorion said the effects are already visible among residents and staff. “you can see their demeanour changing,” she said. “they are calmer on the unit.”
the enhancements, along with the purchase of four adaptive tables in the dining room to accommodate various statures of residents, cost $60,000. donor support from st. joseph’s foundation helped pay for the project. donors are typically family members of current or past residents or people who support the program and facility’s philosophy, said kristal lafantaisie, director of philanthropy of the st. joseph’s foundation.
each year, staff bring ideas forward to enhance the well-being of residents and the murals were an easy initiative to get behind. that’s because the murals and wayfinding enhancements not only benefit residents by reducing anxiety and escape-seeking behaviour, but positively impact the well-being of staff as well, she said.
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about st. joseph’s villa
st. joseph’s villa is a 128-bed long-term care facility located on a scenic, wooded property at south bay road near laurentian university. operated as a non-profit, it provides 24-hour nursing, personal care, and specialized services for seniors requiring assistance with daily living.
the st. joseph’s health centre of sudbury manages the villa. because demand for long-term care in the region is high, admissions are coordinated through ontario health athome.
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kristal lafantaisie, director of philanthropy for st. joseph’s foundation, stands next to a mural located in the gardenway neighbourhood at st. joseph’s villa in sudbury, ont. on wednesday june 3, 2026. john lappa/sudbury star/postmedia network
john lappa
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john lappa/sudbury star
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