My first experience with a nursing home came on a visit to see my great-grandfather when I was 6 years old. I remember the building was dark, old-looking inside and out, and it smelled funny. The bedrooms were shared with only a curtain between the beds. Even at that young age, the space made me feel uncomfortable.
When I was 16 years old, I got my first job working at a senior living community helping prepare food in the kitchen and serving the residents. Although this place provided high-quality care, it still felt dated and not at all homelike. The experience solidified the sense of joy I feel in the company of older adults, but it also opened my eyes to just how important a community’s design and staff are to providing residents with the kind of care and experience they deserve as they age.
Fast forward about a decade to architecture school, when a professor asked me and my classmates during a lecture to close our eyes and picture a built environment that made us feel physically uncomfortable. My mind immediately went to that nursing home I visited when I was 6. It was my epiphany—the moment I realized I could play a role in designing better living environments for older adults like my grandparents.
During my first architecture internship at OZ Architecture, I worked for a principal who designed older adult housing. The work was intriguing to me and coincided with my grandparents reaching the later stages of their lives. I watched two grandfathers move into memory care and my grandmother go from very healthy to passing away in a rehabilitation center within a span of 60 days.
These experiences gave me an up-close look at care environments from the perspectives of the residents, their families, and the care staff, and, ultimately, it inspired me to seek out a larger role in the firm’s senior living studio. There, I’ve moved from my role as an intern to architect, because I wanted to put that perspective to good use and pursue greater innovation in design for the aging.
For example, for one research project at OZ, I interviewed numerous care providers, residents, and family members of older adults in care communities to analyze how they experienced these environments. To augment that research, I purchased a wheelchair for our design team to use in the office to broaden our understanding of navigating the world with a mobility device.
Furthermore, my sole surviving grandparent, my grandmother, became my “inside source” about life as an 80-something, sharing her experiences on the importance of socializing with others and staying independent.
Now, looking back, I see that I have synthesized her insight with my own research and experiences into a design ethos that I try to bring to work every day. I’m passionate about creating spaces that elevate the daily living experience, enable aging in place, and allow for independence and wellness of residents. My grandmother still lives in the home she and my grandfather shared, and, so far, my family has been unable to convince her to move into long-term care. Still, my hope is that my work leaves a foundation that we can continue to build on to advance this industry and improve the lives of seniors.
Jami Mohlenkamp, is principal at OZ Architecture.
If you’re interested in sharing the story of what ignited your passion for senior living design, contact Executive Editor Anne DiNardo at [email protected].
