Senior Living
An aging crisis shift is heading our way in the next few decades. Studies show today we have a 7% aging population and, we will be looking at a 20% increase in a short period. This shift will change the way we look at the aging process and will impact families. As a society, we will need to find new solutions and collaborate uniformly with institutions, policymakers, and the private sector. We have outdated protocols and beliefs that need to be updated to have a dignified aging process.
Older nursing home institutions where designed to have a high occupancy. Back then, design standards allowed quadrupled occupancy rooms. Now a days, most design standards allow double occupancy per room. How should the size of a nursing home matter ?
According to The Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity, 42% of U.S. Covid-19 deaths occur in a nursing home. The pandemic has now showed us that neither the older nor current design standard are working out. Running a crowded nursing home institution, with high occupancy rates, enclosed shared spaces and congregate living makes it hard to social distance causing more outbreaks.
The new normal is a reality that must be taken in consideration when choosing a residence for senior living, so how should the size of a nursing home does matter. Ample spaces and spaces to create your own private space is especially important for all the right reasons. While the human interaction and community engagement is also important for the senior well being, large institutions lack the private space.
Since 2011 a continuous growth of about 2 million Baby Boomers per year was recorded. In 2020 it is estimated an early retirement for Baby Boomers to reach more than 3 million.
Choosing the right place for Senior Living has to be planned out in advance. Affordability plays a key role in the decision to choose a place. Seniors don’t want to create an economic burden to their kids.
Designing a successful age-friendly infrastructure environments is a challenge that will benefit everyone. Focusing on maintaining the functional ability and easier navigation to prevent social isolation should be a common goal.
In the past, aging has been thought like an illness and not as a natural human evolution. It is for this reason that factory like institutions focused on efficient processes and methodical staff levels. This is a medically designed answer to natural human evolution.
When thinking about age-friendly infrastructure a traditional medical model needs to be replaced with a comprehensive model that would accommodate the user. A comprehensive model will affirm personal dignity and will prolong independence.
As we grow up we never think that we will get old. We have other things to worry and want to have, a car, job, girlfriend, wife kids, house etc… All these events and objects takes out the attention about the aging process and we just don’t put real thought to the importance of Aging healthy.
Now, times are changing rather quickly; it is indicated that in 2020 the global population of 60 or older has reached 1 billion and will double by 2050. We are looking at an eminent wave where the old will outnumber the young. The Importance of Aging Healthy is part of wellbeing.