Recently, I photographed the Treeo facility in Ogden. It serves a population that requires supplementary services for residential living such as those aging or with infirmities. I was struck when reviewing the photographs to how similar the facility’s design, interiors, and services were to a hotel or destination resort.
It’s a welcoming environment with open spaces where people spent time reading or working on jigsaw puzzles. The café had a menu, snacks between meals, outdoor patio seating with a fireplace, and partitions to separate off areas for parties. A fully equipped fitness room provided an opportunity to tone or follow up on physical therapy, and there were various recreation diversions like shuffleboard and pickleball.
Making photographs was also similar to hospitality destinations. I tried to capture its spaciousness and, at the same time, the intimacy of some of the areas for conversations and interaction. Wheelchair accessibility was naturally in place, but it was difficult to represent without photographing guests, which is contrary to policy.
— Scot Zimmerman
