Operators of senior living communities are increasingly motivated to promote resident health and wellness with better designs. This is due in large part to a growing body of evidence that the way communities are designed and built plays a key role in supporting this goal. As people are living longer, senior living communities should help them live better. With the right approach, it is possible to significantly increase the overall wellbeing of your residents through your design choices.
Designing for Activity
Keeping residents active is a high priority and a major contributor to feeling of wellbeing among residents. To help promote this with the design of your senior living community, offer easy access to inspiring outdoor spaces and fitness centers. Indoor and outdoor lap pools also offer a perfect all-around workout and are a very attractive benefit to many residents.
Incorporating Biophilic Design Principles
Biophilic design is a concept used in all types of buildings to increase occupant connectivity to the natural environment with direct nature, indirect nature and space and place conditions. People are naturally drawn to nature. Biophilic Design strategies seek to act on this truth by offering more access to it, which can improve mental and physical health. This is more than simply putting plants in your lobby. Without a doubt the best biophilic strategy, if possible, is to provide residents with more access to outdoor spaces. Make the connection between your community and nature as seamless as possible. This provides residents with more fresh air and more sunlight, both of which contribute to increased wellbeing.
Cleanable Materials
It is vitally important to consider material choices for residents with weaker immune systems. Germs and serious illnesses grow on surfaces, and surfaces in senior living communities get touched a lot. For surfaces that get touched the most, choose cleanable materials to better support senior health and wellness. Materials that make cleaning the easiest are antimicrobial fabrics and solid, nonporous surfaces. Choosing these materials makes it much easier for staff to keep your community clean. Curious to learn more about CMBA’s approach to architecture and design? Click here to discover our approach.