Senior Environments

New healthcare design guidelines address long-term care

New codes, regulations and guidelines for the design of senior living facilities are being developed to support culture change and resident-centered care. Now is the time for long-term care providers to become involved in the development of these guidelines. Read More »

How to reposition dated LTC assets

As the long-term care industry takes on more business in short-term rehabilitation and new expectations from the baby boomer generation, many facilities are finding themselves forced to renovate their buildings and their operations to keep up with the market changes.  Read More »

Designing international aged care environments

Whether caring for seniors in the United States or in a village in the Pacific Rim, providing culture-specific environments and services is taking design in a new direction as seen in three international projects. Read More »

Casting a critical eye on our environments for aging

The long-term care industry has advanced dramatically in recent years when it comes to innovations in healthcare and living environments for our aging population. At St. John's on the Lake in Milwaukee, 20 LTC designers, architects and academics have gathered to judge 59 new senior housing projects. They are a tough and demanding group. Read More »

It’s all in the design: A preview of the 2013 Environments for Aging Conference

Good design in environments for the aging improves not only the quality of life for residents, but it resonates, and hopefully improves, every aspect of the senior living business, from marketing to housekeeping. Nowhere will LTC professionals find a more comprehensive and qualified collection of minds from the architecture, interior design and building fields than at Long-Term Living’s 2013 Environments for Aging Conference. Read More »

Houston leads markets in assisted living construction activity

As of the fourth quarter of 2012, units under construction in assisted living properties equated to 3.0 percent of the existing assisted living inventory within the top 31 metropolitan markets. Construction activity has been oscillating for more than a year, but has clearly moved past the lows established in 2009. Read More »

Assisted living census grows in aftermath of Superstorm Sandy

When tidal surges and flood waters from Superstorm Sandy damaged or completely washed away homes this past November, many independent, elderly homeowners began to rethink their housing and safety options. Read More »

How occupational therapists influence LTC design decisions

Occupational therapists are trained to focus on a framework made up of the person, the environment and the occupational performance, which can be applied to healthcare design. Read More »

Redecorate with 2013’s forecasted “hot” colors

The new year is only days away, but it’s not too early to “think Spring.” Consider refreshing the environment of your facility or incorporating the “now” hues into your remodel or construction plans. Read More »

HUD gives $26 million for assisted living conversions

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is paying apartment owners in nine states to convert their buildings to assisted living units. Read More »

When high-tech meets low-tech

We’ve got high-tech flooring sensors, in-room monitors for falls management and remote home monitoring.. . but wait—did we forget to redesign the stairs? Today's IOM meeting in Washington, D.C., provides a backdrop for good discussions on technology, health space design and mission. Read More »

IOM’s “Fostering Independence and Healthy Aging Through Technology” conference

Long-term Living’s coverage from today’s "Public Workshop on Fostering Independence and Healthy Aging through Technology" in Washington, D.C.: Senior services leaders present the issues of “assistance technology” to keep seniors mobile and independent. Read More »

Assisted living fundamentals continue to show improvement

With continued improvement in occupancy, absorption and rent growth indicators, assisted living’s recovery is moving forward, according to the latest data from NIC MAP. Read More »

Nursing care occupancy performance stable overall, but varies by market

The stability in nursing care market fundamentals continues, as occupancy remains essentially flat. In the third quarter of 2012, nursing care occupancy was 88.0 percent, an increase of 10 basis points from the prior quarter and a 30 basis point decline during the past year. Read More »

Senior housing providers branch into at-home care models

With more Americans considering staying at home in their elder years instead of moving to a retirement community, many senior living providers are experimenting with alternative service models, including innovative programming and service partnerships. Read More »

NIC National Conference: Lenders poised to deal with quality operators

Senior housing developers and lenders are engaging this week in the delicate art of the deal at the 22nd NIC (National Investment Center) National Conference. This year’s mood is decidedly less gloomy than in recent years and even, observers suggest, cautiously optimistic. Read More »

Nursing care occupancy continues slow decline

Nursing care occupancy continued its slow decline, which is a trend that has been in place since 2007, reports NIC MAP. During the second quarter of 2012, nursing care occupancy was 87.9 percent, which was a 30 basis point decline from the prior quarter and 40 basis points lower than a year ago. Read More »

Seniors housing outlook: Road to recovery

Seniors housing has staged a recovery from the dark days of 2006. Today, lenders have money to deploy and developers and owners have plans on the drawing board to make senior living and attractive and quality option for the new generation of older Americans. Read More »

Nursing home residents at risk as flood waters surge above levees in one New Orleans parish

A nursing home in one New Orleans parish chose to ride out Hurricane Isaac, but the facility is now flagged for evacuation as storm surge exceeds the nearby levees, flooding the neighborhood. Read More »

Could your LTC community use an extreme makeover?

Here’s your chance to realize your community’s design potential with RESCUE ME—a program created by our sister publication, Environments for Aging, to bring communities and designers together to demonstrate the impact of renovated space in the LTC environment. Read More »

Seniors housing: Strategies for a successful transition amid a changing consumerism

Ryan Frederick, founder and principal of Point Forward Solutions, shares with Long-Term Living magazine his strategies for transitioning senior living facilities into the spaces consumers will want tomorrow. Read More »

Assisted living fundamentals continue to show improvement

The recovery in assisted living occupancy remains in place, as occupancy continues to improve, reports NIC MAP. Inventory growth also accelerated, growing by 0.6 percent in the second quarter, which is its highest pace since first quarter 2010. Read More »

California’s new LTC model for elderly and chronically ill inmates

In California, the aging prison population will soon be cared for in a newly constructed care-based facility in a security-conscious environment. However, design elements will improve quality of life. Read More »

10 tips to inject hospitality design into your senior living community

The principals at three: living architecture maintain that one can incorporate hospitality design features at any phase of a senior living community’s life—from early planning through current status to future expansions. Their critical takeaway: One can never afford a dull community. Read More »

Competition yields fresh ideas in senior housing design

At Long-Term Living’s 2012 Environments for Aging conference in Orlando, two college sophomores were presented with first prize in the third annual AIAS/SAGE Student Design Competition, a program that challenged architecture students to push the envelope in housing designed for the elderly. Read More »

Louisville, Ky. sees growth in seniors’ needs

Kentucky city builds an aging cluster in its downtown with plans to expand services and products to the elderly--and bring jobs to the region. Read More »

Renovating skilled nursing facilities: Adjusting the property and upgrading the culture

Renovating existing facilities entails much more than a new coat of paint. Miles Girouard and Amy Ruedinger, RN, discuss the strategies involved in upgrading the physical environment and the care culture at the same time. Read More »

‘TMI’ in designs for senior living

Senior living designers have yet to recognize that boomers entering communities will demand the same resources in senior living just as they have upped the ante by demanding restaurant style dining, fitness centers, spas and coffee shops. Read More »

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 »