The Fall issue of Environments for Aging is always home to our annual Remodel/Renovation Competition. This year, it’s particularly poignant to peruse the submissions, which capture projects completed before any of us were aware of COVID-19 or the devastating effects it would have on senior living. It also serves as a reminder of the trajectory this industry was on prior to the current pause in efforts.

You’ll find in both the profiles of winners and our gallery of all participants that there’s a clear trend in the call to refresh and modernize amenity spaces, particularly dining areas. This mirrors a trend found in our 2019 competition, as well. It’s evidence of a movement in senior living design to rethink spaces that matter deeply in terms of the engagement and livelihood of residents. And while actions to create more vibrant spaces that support goals for enhanced experience—be it in introducing more contemporary dining options, enhanced health and wellness offerings, or welcoming common areas—will certainly return, they’ll likely come with a new twist.

As detailed in the trend report “Together Again” by Executive Editor Anne DiNardo, industry experts say that while a few short-term design solutions are being introduced in response to the safety and infection control requirements top of mind today, long-range planning is considering all of the above and then some. For example, the recent trend of introducing small-scale dining offerings like cafés, bistros, and grab-and-go food counters answers the modern resident’s dining desires while also serving as flexible space in a pandemic response. Main dining rooms that have been strategically divided to provide residents with more seating options and table types may evolve to leverage movable walls and structures that could flex capacity for social distancing, if necessary.

It seems that while inspired by other drivers, the course we were already on is still the right one.


Meanwhile, we here at EFA are considering the future of design, as well—our own. Our team is about to embark on the exploration of a brand redesign for both the EFA Expo & Conference and the magazine. Like so many communities pursuing remodels, the foundation is here, but it’s time for a refresh.

We’ll be diving into meaningful questions that explore who we are and how we want to be perceived by the industry. We’ll consider how the design of our brand is reflective of our mission and the design of these magazine pages helps support our editorial team in delivering the content you need in a manner that’s effective and enjoyable. If you have feedback on how we can improve the look and feel of EFA, I’d love to hear it.

There will be numerous changes taking place as we all move toward 2021 and beyond. I look forward to navigating them together.

To share your perspectives and insights, email Editor-in-Chief Jennifer Kovacs Silvis at jennifer.silvis@emeraldx.