The research
We keep up with the research so families don't have to. Here's an honest, plain-language look at what's known about caring for people with dementia, from the model of care itself to sleep, exercise, nutrition, and the newest treatments.
Why small-household, person-centered care is backed by decades of studies, honestly presented, mixed findings and all.
Read the evidence →What's actually known about slowing decline, and the daily habits we build into life here.
Explore lifestyle →A plain-language guide to the new Alzheimer's drugs and blood tests, so you can talk with your doctor.
Understand the options →Our small-household model isn't a design trend. It grows out of decades of peer-reviewed research into what actually helps people living with dementia. Below is an honest summary of that evidence, with links to the published studies, including the findings that are mixed.
The best-studied version of small-scale residential care is the Green House model: self-contained homes of roughly 8 to 12 residents, each with a private room, a residential kitchen and dining area, consistent staff assignment, and caregivers who know each resident well. Similar “small-scale living” models in the Netherlands, Sweden, and Australia organize care around households of about 6 to 10 residents. Much of this research was conducted in nursing homes rather than assisted living, but the design principles Savoy Place applies are the same: a small census, a homelike environment, consistent staffing, and days built around the person.
A two-year study of four 10-person Green House homes versus traditional facilities under the same ownership found that residents in the small homes reported better quality of life across multiple domains and higher satisfaction with their home as a place to live, with no decline in clinical quality-of-care measures.
Kane et al. · Read the study
A large claims analysis of 15 Green House adopters versus 223 matched nursing homes found that living in the small homes reduced Medicare spending by roughly $7,700 per resident per year, about a 30 percent reduction, likely driven by fewer hospitalizations and less post-acute care.
Grabowski et al. (THRIVE Collaborative) · Read the study
A companion study using standard quality measures found that Green House adoption was associated with lower 30-day hospital readmissions and improvement on several measures of care quality compared with matched homes.
Afendulis et al. (THRIVE Collaborative) · Read the study
A review of small group-home studies found that over a year, residents in smaller settings showed better preserved function and less aggression, anxiety, and depression, with lower use of antipsychotics, tranquilizers, and antibiotics. Staff were more satisfied and families reported less burden. The evidence specifically supports private rooms, outdoor access, residential kitchens and dining, and person-centered schedules.
Zimmerman & Cohen, review summary · Read the summary
A Dutch study found positive effects of small-scale living on reduced use of physical restraints and psychotropic medications, medications sometimes overused in institutional dementia care, with mixed results on behavior.
Kok et al. · Read the study
The most up-to-date synthesis of the Green House literature, covering resident outcomes, staffing, and financial implications, a useful single source for where the research stands today.
Williams & Joshi · Read the review
In fairness, the research isn't unanimous. A systematic review of 14 studies found benefits for physical functioning in dementia-specific small houses, but no significant differences on several psychosocial and staff outcomes, and study quality varies. The overall body of evidence favors small-scale care, but it isn't proven superior on every single measure, and we'd rather tell you that plainly.
Verbeek et al. · Read the review
The Alzheimer's Association Dementia Care Practice Recommendations set the standard for person-centered assessment, nonpharmacological approaches to behavioral symptoms, support for families, and therapeutic environments, the practices our households are built around.
Alzheimer's Association · Read the recommendations
A review of the evidence that person-centered, nonpharmacological practices, music, tailored activities, exercise, and sensory approaches, can ease agitation and related symptoms, carried out by the caregivers who know each resident.
Scales, Zimmerman & Miller · Read the review
A meta-analysis found person-centered interventions effective at reducing the behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia, with reminiscence therapy, connecting with a person's memories and history, showing the strongest effects on both symptoms and cognition.
Kim & Park · Read the study
The published evidence supports small-household dementia care on the outcomes that matter most to families: quality of life, less reliance on restraints and psychotropic drugs, better preserved function, fewer hospital readmissions, and lower cost. The most-studied homes cluster around 8 to 12 residents; our households apply the same evidence-backed design at a modestly larger scale. No study has singled out one exact size as uniquely best, and a few comparisons found no difference on some measures. So the fair claim, and the one we'll make, is that small-household care is strongly supported by a growing body of evidence, not that it's proven superior on every measure.
Research points the way, but it can't replace knowing your mother. The most important thing we do can't be captured in a study: learning who someone is, and caring for them accordingly. The more we know about who someone was before dementia, the better we care for who they are today.
A common question from families is whether anything can slow the decline. The honest answer: most of this research is about lowering risk and slowing change in early stages, not reversing established dementia. But several habits are genuinely supported by the research below.
U.S. POINTER, a two-year randomized trial of more than 2,000 at-risk older adults, combined exercise, nutrition, mental and social challenge, and health monitoring. Both approaches improved cognition, and the structured, higher-intensity version helped more, protecting cognition from normal age-related decline. Benefits held across sex, ethnicity, and genetic risk.
Alzheimer's Association U.S. POINTER · See the results
The Finnish FINGER trial randomized 1,259 at-risk adults to a two-year program of exercise, diet, cognitive training, and vascular-risk management. The intervention group showed less cognitive decline, and long-term follow-up linked the lifestyle changes to better cognition. It has since been adapted worldwide.
FINGER trial · Read the study
The field's standard reference identified 14 modifiable risk factors across life, including physical inactivity, hypertension, hearing loss, and social isolation, and estimated that addressing them could reduce dementia risk at a population level. Worth noting: that headline figure is an upper-bound population estimate, not a promise for any one person.
Livingston et al. · Read the commission
The EXERT trial followed 296 sedentary older adults with mild cognitive impairment through 18 months of exercise. Cognition stayed stable regardless of intensity, and both exercise groups declined less than a comparison group. The practical takeaway: consistent, structured movement appears protective, and doing it regularly matters more than how hard it is.
Baker et al. (EXERT) · Read the study
For people who already have dementia, exercise programs show small but real effects on agitation and low mood, and they double as fall-prevention and help preserve function. Effects are modest, but exercise is safe and low-cost.
Scales, Zimmerman & Miller review · Read the review
The MIND diet, a Mediterranean/DASH hybrid rich in leafy greens, berries, nuts, olive oil, and fish, has strong observational support: most studies link higher adherence to better cognition and lower dementia risk over the years.
MIND diet review · Read the review
In fairness: a three-year randomized trial found no significant cognitive difference between the MIND diet and a control diet. The honest read is that diet quality is linked to lower risk over decades and works best as one part of a whole-life program, not as a standalone treatment started late.
Barnes et al. · Read the trial
A long-running study found that sleep problems, especially daytime sleepiness, predicted later cognitive impairment, consistent with broader research linking poor midlife sleep to higher dementia risk. Deep sleep is thought to help the brain clear waste proteins, biologically plausible, though not yet proven to prevent dementia.
Caerphilly Prospective Study · Read the study
Poor sleep is common and often untreated in older adults. The structured lifestyle program improved sleep alongside cognition. Some of the most actionable steps happen naturally in a residential setting: consistent routines, morning light, limited daytime napping, and screening for untreated sleep apnea.
POINTER sleep ancillary · Read the summary
[PROGRAM DESCRIPTION PLACEHOLDER — once Savoy Place's own wellbeing program is written, describe it here: how movement, nutrition, sleep-supportive routines, and social engagement show up in daily life. Until then, this page establishes the evidence base without describing specific programming.]
Families often ask about the new Alzheimer's drugs in the news. Here's a plain-language overview so you can have an informed conversation with your physician. One honest thing to know up front: none of the approved or late-stage treatments work for moderate-to-severe dementia, they're for early-stage disease. We don't provide or recommend any of these therapies; this is background so you can talk with a doctor.
Two IV infusion drugs, lecanemab and donanemab, are approved for early Alzheimer's (mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia). In trials they slowed decline by roughly 20 to 37 percent depending on the measure, while their real-world meaningfulness is still debated. Both carry a risk of brain swelling or microbleeds and require MRI monitoring. Neither is approved for moderate-to-severe dementia. Whether they're appropriate is a decision for a neurologist.
Overview · Learn more
Brexpiprazole (Rexulti) is currently the only drug FDA-approved specifically for agitation in Alzheimer's, and another is under review. These are relevant to memory care, but the research on small households shows that environment and consistent staffing reduce the need for such medications, which is why we lead with non-drug approaches.
Overview · Learn more
Several blood tests for Alzheimer's have now been FDA-cleared, agreeing closely with the older, more invasive PET scans and spinal taps. The practical effect for families: cheaper, earlier, more certain diagnosis, which means more time to plan and to focus on living well. Your physician can advise whether testing makes sense.
Overview · Learn more
Researchers are testing well over 150 experimental treatments, most aimed at modifying the disease, targeting amyloid, tau, inflammation, and more, including next-generation drugs designed to work at lower doses and combination approaches. Not everything succeeds (several high-profile candidates have recently failed), but the effort is substantial. This is for awareness, not something to act on without a doctor.
Cummings et al., 2026 pipeline review · Read the review
The takeaway for families: today's approved treatments help only in early stages, so for most people in memory care, the best "treatment" remains excellent daily care, connection, and support. If your loved one is early in the journey, ask their doctor about testing and treatment options, and we're glad to be a steady partner whatever you decide.
A note on this page. Everything here is general education, not medical advice, and reflects the research as of August 2026, a fast-moving field. Nothing on this page is a treatment we provide or recommend. Study summaries are our plain-language descriptions of the linked sources. For any decision about your loved one's care, diagnosis, or medication, please talk with their physician or a neurologist.
We're always glad to talk through how we care and why.
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