The design for Caton Woods at the Charlestown Continuing Care Community is based on providing resident-focused care in a home-like atmosphere. The building layout focuses on reducing the amount of residents in a typical neighborhood and clustering rooms to account for the proper staffing ratios. The traditional nurse’s station has been removed and replaced with touchdown and staff areas throughout the building.

Connecting the neighborhoods is a vertical town center anchored by the ground floor that contains the building’s shared amenities. These amenities mimic those of a typical town center: a chapel, gym, salon, spas, art rooms, movie theater and café. These features allow a close and convenient area for residents to socialize outside of their immediate neighborhood.

Each neighborhood includes elements that recreate a traditional home environment. A country kitchen with a separate elevator connects the main kitchen to the resident pantry allowing for quick and efficient food delivery. The resident country kitchen has varying counter heights to allow residents with different needs to participate in household activities, including baking.

Flanking the large central fire place, the dining room has moveable tables to allow for family dining or for smaller, more intimate, occasions. Each dining room also has direct access to an outdoor patio or deck depending on the level. In addition to the required support areas, the neighborhoods also contain a living room and laundry room.

The spacious resident apartments contain private bathrooms with showers, vanities, storage wardrobes, individual heating and cooling control, and large operable windows. The rooms were designed to easily accommodate visitors, reading, and dressing, and also include a window bench. The assisted living apartments have a small kitchenette.