It looks like any tastefully decorated home in an Edmonds neighborhood, with gardens that boast of tender loving care. The only hint it was designed specifically to care for the elderly are the wheelchair accessible entrances.

Owner Emma Corbilla has worked as a nurse for over 16 years and is a 2003 graduate of Bastyr University with a doctorate in naturopathic medicine. As a specialist in the fields of dementia, Alzheimer's and mental health, Corbilla created Naturopathic Home Care Adult Family Home to be "a place of healing and growth."

"This is where our current health care system fails," said Corbilla. Study and experience has shown her that traditional medicine is good at getting the elderly over an acute health situation, but fails to help the body continue to rejuvenate itself. Her goal is to enable the elderly to have optimal health through meaningful activity, exercise and nutrition.

By incorporating color, music and sensory therapy into the group home setting, Corbilla is able to tap into the five senses of residents. The result is connection and community for individuals who seem to have lost their connection with the world around them because of dementia and health issues.

Specific examples of building connection through the senses can be seen in the dining room at Naturopathic Home Care. Corbilla used a lot of red to decorate the dining room, which she calls "the active room" because the color red stimulates the senses and makes people want to eat. There is a waterfall made from natural items so residents can hear the water and feel like they're outside. Couches have been placed near the table so diners have a feeling of community which encourages people who don't want to eat alone. Plants contribute warmth and life, and even a television set, turned on without the sound, contributes to a sense of activity and life.

The gardens surrounding the home are lovely and invite residents to dig their hands into soil. Raised beds enable the wheelchair-bound to participate freely. And, there are covered areas so residents can spend time outside daily, regardless of the weather.

With a holistic approach to health, Naturopathic Home Care provides a nurturing, safe environment for the elderly that focuses on life rather than maintenance.

For more information visit naturopathichome.com or call Emma Corbilla at (425) 418-0254.