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 »
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 »
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 »
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 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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
The stability in nursing care market fundamentals continues, as occupancy remains essentially flat, according to NIC MAP. In 1Q12, nursing care occupancy was 88.2 percent, which is unchanged from the prior quarter and a 30 basis point decrease in the past year. Read More »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
In 1Q12, assisted living occupancy was 88.6 percent, an increase of 20 basis points from the prior quarter and a 30 basis point increase from a year ago. Occupancy is now 130 basis points above the cyclical low it established in 1Q10. Read More »
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 »
Owners and operators are finding that, due to aging housing stock and market changes, opportunities for renewal abound in senior housing. But transforming the old into something with current and future market appeal can be a daunting task. Read More »
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 »
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 »
At Environments for Aging 2012, senior living experts weigh in on the lifestyle and design features highest in demand by that most demanding generation: the baby boomers. Read More »
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 »
“Elderhood” advocate William Thomas, MD, urges Environments for Aging attendees in his keynote address to “consider a radical reinterpretation of aging and the built environment.” Read More »
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 »
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 study addressed the costs and satisfaction with the communities, methods of paying for the community, evidence of spending down or giving away assets, financial concerns and the geographic mobility among the residents. Read More »
Long hours, physical stress and injury, moderate pay and other complaints are the general mantra of LTC employees—but not in Denver. Workers at one CCRC in particular have plenty to brag about when it comes to their employer. Read More »
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 »
NIC MAP, a data analysis from the National Investment Center for the Seniors Housing & Care Industry, shows a modest recovery in occupancy rate, while construction activity slows. Read More »
