Mural-Adventist Aged Care

This mural was created for the Dementia Ward at Adventist Aged Care with a specific, sensitive objective: to visually soften and disguise a frequently used exit door, reducing resident distress and preventing repeated escape attempts.

Rather than simply covering the doors, the intention was to transform the entire wall into a calming landscape that gently redirects attention. Drawing on the Glass House Mountains, I developed a serene, expansive scene using a soft, natural colour palette to create a sense of depth and openness. The doors were carefully integrated into the composition so they visually dissolve into the landscape. A stone wall, timber gate, rolling hills, and distant mountains create a sense of perspective, while a lush green canopy frames the space and draws the eye upward. A sleeping cat resting on the rock wall and birds gathering at a birdbath introduce familiar, comforting details that encourage pause rather than urgency.

In dementia care environments, visual cues play an important role in behaviour and wellbeing. By replacing a stark exit point with a peaceful rural vista, the mural helps reduce agitation, supports emotional regulation, and contributes to a more homelike, reassuring atmosphere for residents and staff alike.

The result is both functional and aesthetic: a therapeutic landscape that enhances the environment, supports care outcomes, and seamlessly conceals the architectural elements it was designed to soften.

Location: Adventist Aged Care, Caloundra