4 Trends in Assisted Living

From the J+J Flooring Group
By AnnMarie Martin

Perhaps nowhere else does design make more of an impact than in healthcare spaces, particularly in environments for the aging population.

J+J Flooring Group brought together a select group of designers to discuss exactly that during their second annual Senior Living Design Symposium in Santa Fe, N.M., earlier this year. Thirteen top designers were corralled together for a weekend in May and lassoed up by industry expert Sara Marberry (co-founder of the Center for Health Design). This think tank was also joined by guest speakers gerontologist Dr. Anne Simpson from the University of New Mexico, and I&S columnist Jane Rhode (see her latest piece on page 94 of this issue).

Many ideas and experiences were shared among the group, but more importantly, results were achieved. Out of this exclusive gathering, four trends were identified in the sector and J+J is offering them up to the majority. The following are four movements that can help you craft interiors for seniors who intend to lead active, mobile lifestyles for many years to come. We asked Marberry to weigh in on each to get some clarity and perspective.

Read the full article here: Interiors & Sources

Health and Wellness Impact: Integrative Model for Healthcare Design

In recently attending the ASID and IDC Impact Summit 2015: Health + Wellness in the Built Environment at Lake Nona Medical City in Orlando, Fla., it became clear that additional focus on a collaborative approach to programming, planning, and design are more essential than ever to create a successful solution. To date, often health and wellness has been evaluated as a separate component of the designed physical environment. However, in utilizing a framework that evaluates several design considerations, there are many commonalities that also include health and wellness as a desired outcome when utilizing an evidence-based design approach.

One inspiring panel at the Impact Summit included Rosalyn “Roz” Cama, FASID, EDAC, the board chair at the Center for Health Design; Sandra Vance, senior director of interoperability initiatives at HIMSS Innovation Center; and Deborah German, MD, the VP of medical affairs and dean of the College of Medicine of the University of Florida.  The topic of discussion was “What is the Future of Intelligent Homes and Communities?” Roz addressed the importance of understanding the research to create innovative design solutions and produce measurable outcomes, and Sandra discussed the need for technology integration —both supporting health and wellness within the built environment. Dr. German would be the ideal client—she was so clear on the need for collaboration to achieve goals for projects within Lake Nona Medical City. One of the questions she asked of the design team when developing building concepts was, “How do we create delight?” Further, she met her goals of changing the paradigm from traditional medical planning to more creative approaches that better support students, practitioners, patients, and staff in planning the facilities on the Lake Nona site—including lifestyle, health, and well-being.    

Read more on Interiors & Sources as Jane Rohde recaps the ASID and IDC Impact Summit