As an interior designer who is also part of the ever-growing group of adult children with aging parents, I’m having more and more conversations with friends about what the best environments are for elders to continue productive, comfortable lives.
When I lost someone close to me of cancer in 2012, I learned firsthand what it’s like to see someone age prematurely in a short period of time. This experience, in many ways, mimicked many of the situations we confront with aging adults, and part of what I experienced informed my work as a design professional. Creating environments that positively consider changes in the mind and body are critical to giving aging people a sense of purpose—even when they are dying.
Research shows that there’s a lack of intentionally designed spaces that encourage meaningful social interaction and depth of conversation between residents in today’s long-term care (LTC) communities and aging-in-place models. Instead, much of the interaction and conversation occurring in the typical clinical model focuses on the physical ailments and effects of aging and chronic illness.
Providers, architects, designers, and facility owners/managers each play a role in shaping environments to stimulate personal growth and encourage reminiscing and positive connections, an effective approach to creating healthier, happier lifestyles for residents.
Creating meditative space, designing for meals to be taken in the room, or defining spaces that allow for life-review conversations are all examples of how design can positively impact LTC residents. Environmental influences like acoustics, ergonomics, natural light exposure, and access to green space, among others, can improve a person’s well-being and sense of purpose.
Taking into consideration environmental influences can create “healthier” buildings for occupants of a facility.
The American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) recently completed a study in cooperation with McGraw Hill Construction (now known as Dodge Data & Analytics) that articulates the need for increased investment in “healthy” building design. The study, The Drive Toward Healthier Buildings, found design professionals, specifically architects and designers (63 percent), consider the impact of buildings on occupants’ health more important to incorporate into their design than do building owners (59 percent).
The good news is both groups agree that the demand for healthier buildings is on the rise. Helping facility owners appreciate the importance of the impact of design on a number of areas is key to their success as owners and operators.
Utilizing these techniques promotes healthy aging, which—when optimized—ends in a new and qualitatively different perspective on life. The ASID/McGraw Hill Construction report shows that interior designers, architects, contractors, and home builders find a direct correlation between design and the health of individuals in our society.
In an elder care environment, the best combination is achieved by designing space that allows continued independence and preserves the dignity of an aging mind and body. The design must work in concert with the intended use envisioned by the administration and staff, but also further enrich the resident experience through sensory stimulation.
An example might include designing a bistro so that the aroma of coffee is pushed into adjacent public space in the morning and planning public corridors to allow for sounds of activity in the evening.
Minimizing barriers in general and strategically using the right balance of natural and artificial light, without creating glare issues and challenging the aging eye with light/dark contrasts, are other examples of design touch points, each of which are opportunities to review social space and to potentially create a positive experience.
