Design

Designing bold first impressions

Bold colors, modern artwork, sleek lines…this isn’t your grandmother’s nursing home. Long-term care owners and administrators have heard it before but it bears repeating. Today’s seniors, more active and engaged in mainstream culture than any other generation before them, appreciate good design. Read More »

Managing budgets for LTC building projects

Identifying a project manager, or owner’s representative, to lead the project team is becoming a vital factor in accomplishing an integrated approach to the LTC building process. Read More »

Adaptive re-use of existing senior living spaces

Innovative planning can allow traditional senior living spaces to be transformed into neighborhoods of shared spaces and private spaces, encouraging interaction and fostering memory care. Architect James Moyer describes the before and after designs. Read More »

Environmental sustainability by design for assisted living

LEED certification is by no means a new concept, but in the LTC industry, many owners and operators have been tentative to embrace the concept and make it work on a large scale. Here's one owner that has done just that. Read More »

Spaces and interpersonal communication

In community life, physical spaces help or hinder communication. Room configurations have a definite impact on how people communicate and interact within that space. Read More »

Innovation clashes with harsh economic reality in LTC design

When a book that addresses architecture and design for an aging population landed on my desk last week, I was eager to review it. However, the ideals it promotes are tempered by current harsh economic realities in the LTC industry. Read More »

When a facility needs to be fixed up

With the Medicare/Medicaid cutbacks to facilities today, I wonder how facilities built from the ’70s through the ’90s will be maintained. I wonder too how the grand looking nursing homes built in the last 10 years will hold up. Read More »

Repurposing a property—LA style

Many developers and architects are putting old building to new purposes. In Los Angeles, an abandoned hospital will shake off its horror-story reputation to provide a new lease on life for low-income seniors. Read More »

Small design projects, big impact on culture change

Earlier this month I sat in on a session at our Environments for Aging conference that challenged attendees to consider the kinds of small renovation projects that can ultimately support culture change in a skilled nursing community. Read More »

Healing garden’s new dimension: Edible gardens

Edible gardens are providing modern healthcare facilities with the next iteration of the age old “healing garden.” By mixing in herbs, fruits and vegetables, a healthcare environment has the opportunity to take their healing gardens to an entirely new level with an added dimension. Read More »

Vendome Group acquires HealthCare Design Exchange

The acquisition of the HealthCare Design Exchange marks Vendome's entry into the "hosted" event model. It will focus on designing environments through products that fit the needs of the healthcare community. Read More »

Encore for EFA’s 2012 Citation of Merit winners

2012’s winning senior living projects were feted at this year's Environments for Aging conference. Representatives of the four architecture firms responsible for creating exemplary and inspiring example of environments for aging accepted their awards before an audience of their congratulatory peers. Read More »

What’s your ideal environment for aging?

The answers vary widely, and reflect lifestyle preferences, health issues and both professional and personal experiences. I’m looking forward to exploring the many strategies and ideas for creating attractive and functional living environments for our aging population at our upcoming Environments for Aging conference. Read More »

Rethinking environments for aging with growing dementia population

Jail isn’t the answer. Nor are warehouses with room and board. And yet, many of today’s institutions that house and deliver care to patients with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease often appear that way to family members seeking long-term care for a loved one with fading cognitive skills. Read More »

The economy and its impact on senior living interior design

It started with the financial crisis. The senior living design community is now left with a remnant of the business that once was, with terms that make you question if you're not just buying swamp land. Read More »

From hotel to senior housing

What do you do with a great building that isn’t providing a great return on investment? Shell Point Retirement Community, a nonprofit ministry of The Christian and Missionary Alliance Foundation, Inc., faced such a dilemma last year. Read More »

Nurses’ station renovations give staff needed privacy

A barn style doorway leaves just enough room for the medicine carts to pass through. The other side has a sliding glass window where residents can ask questions or use the telephone. Read More »

Cultural considerations inform China’s senior housing design

Senior housing development in China is a vast frontier for foreign developers, as described in Long-Term Living's feature “Senior Living in a Sandbox: The China Investment.” But before making the investment plunge, developers are advised to do their cultural studies homework. Read More »

Southern Comfort: Citation of Merit winner WhiteStone–Linville Remodel, Greensboro, N.C.

This fourth of four Environments for Aging Citation of Merit winners illustrates creative solutions to design and healthcare challenges. The amenity-filled CCRC achieves elegance on a small budget. Read More »

Rhapsody in blue: Citation of Merit winner Therapy Suites at Rice Care Center, Willmar, Minn.

This third of four Environments for Aging Citation of Merit winners illustrates creative solutions to design and healthcare challenges. The rehab center incorporated hospitality features on a small budget. Read More »

Obstacles and solutions in real-world design 2012

Senior living designers must show not only industriousness, but also diplomacy on any given project, as demonstrated by these submitting firms in 2012's Environments for Aging competition. Read More »

Bridging the gap between LTC operations and design

Isn't it curious how there's often a disconnect between those who design LTC communities and those who run them? It's critically important for these two groups to come together to create fully functioning spaces that better serve residents and staff. Read More »

Seniors want fitness and style: Citation of Merit winner Friendship Village Fitness Center, Bloomington, Minn.

This second of four Environments for Aging Citation of Merit winners illustrates creative solutions to design and healthcare challenges. Fresh, contemporary design meets residents’ needs at this CCRC. Read More »

Soaring to new heights: Citation of Merit winner Air Force Village: The Mission, San Antonio, Texas

This first of four Environments for Aging Citation of Merit winners illustrates creative solutions to design and healthcare challenges. The homey skilled nursing facility excels in both form and function. Read More »

Designing to boost marketing appeal, create value

Investing in a senior living community through targeted interior design can significantly increase its value and marketing potential while creating a comfortable home for residents. Read More »

Making project development manageable (in bite-sized chunks)

To have longstanding success, organizations need to view repositioning as a “state of mind,” not an event. Repositioning should take a holistic approach that focuses on the entire organization and its future, resulting in the examination of the organization’s strategic direction and goals. Read More »

Developing a framework for Resident Safety Risk Assessment

The Resident Safety Risk Assessment is intended to serve as a broad evaluation framework for the key design areas that impact resident safety in various residential care settings. Read More »

EFA Review: A 15-year retrospective

In 1997, Nursing Homes/Long Term Care Management (now Long-Term Living) stepped outside its established coverage to showcase the importance of where care is provided and how environments impact care and management. Fifteen years later, design for senior care environments is still and will continue to be a critical component in successful elder care. Read More »

How interior design affects resident behavior

Do the design choices senior housing interior designers and architects make really affect the way residents behave? This case study of a memory support addition to a Pennsylvania retirement community supports the theory. Read More »

Successful design in long-term care begins with a master plan

The challenge to house the full spectrum of seniors from fully independent to skilled nursing can be a daunting task even for the most accomplished design team. Involving all professionals and stakeholders at the outset is part of the formula for success. Read More »