How Architecture is Used to Help Seniors in Senior Living Communities
Placing an elderly loved one in a senior living community can be hard, especially when you worry about them being left alone. But, in these senior living communities, the architecture is designed to be less hazardous for their senior residents. This can make you feel a lot better when choosing a community for your elderly family members.
On the other hand, if you are an in home caregiver, you can modify your home to be safe for the seniors you care for. Many seniors move into homes that have little to no stairs once they enter retirement, are getting older, or start to have less mobility. This is because stairs can be more difficult to go up and down on as you get older. Senior living communities have minimal stairs and if residents do need to go to a different floor, elevators are their best friend.
You may think architecture is just the building structures themselves and not all of the little details that go into buildings. Well, here are some small details that can make a big difference in seniors’ lives for both their independence and their mental health.
Phot by CDC
How Architecture Can Give Seniors Independence
If there is an elder in your family who doesn’t want to live at home by themselves anymore and would feel more comfortable living in a senior living community surrounded by others, this can be beneficial to them. If they are still able to do simple tasks on their own, there are some communities that allow this independence. Of course, they do still keep every senior safe with architecture. Here are just a few of the architectural aspects that allow seniors to be independent as residents.
No-Step Entries: No-step entries are one of the best ways to improve senior independence with architecture. Some seniors living in these communities are in wheelchairs or use walkers. They can still be given this great independence with no-step entries because they won’t need help going in and out of buildings or in and out of rooms. This can prevent any injuries from falling and prevent them from needing help to go outside in their wheelchair.
Latch-Style Door: There are seniors living in these communities who do suffer from arthritis or other painful hand issues, but opening doors may be a struggle for them. Different types of door handles can be exceptionally difficult for seniors to grip and turn, but latch-style door handles can eliminate that struggle. These are easier to use and can help seniors open and close doors with ease.
Light Switches: There are different types of light switches that can be installed in senior living communities. In their own bedrooms, it may be more beneficial to them to have rocker-type light switches instead of the flip switches almost everyone has in their homes. Rocky-type light switches allow seniors to just tap the light switch to turn the lights on or off. It is a lot easier than actually flipping the switch, which can be hard for some.
Large Windows: Natural light has been proven to improve depression in seniors and this can be very important, especially because seniors are more prone to this. That’s why it’s so important that senior living communities incorporate larger windows to allow sunshine to come into their room or community spaces. This can be a great benefit, especially in the wintertime when it is too cold for the residents to enjoy each other’s company outside.
How Architecture Improves Senior Mental Health
Architecture can not only be used to keep seniors safe as they walk around the community they live in, but it can also improve their mental health. There are many different techniques in architecture that can bring more light into rooms as well as give them a sense of home.
Open Space: Open space is a huge part of improving mental health in seniors because it can allow seniors to connect with one another and not be sheltered from each other. In senior living communities, there are bigger rooms within these community buildings that are designed to allow seniors to enjoy different activities such as bingo, games, mealtimes, and even yoga or meditation. These rooms can be filled with a ton of different residents where they can mingle, laugh, and have a great time with their friends.
Open spaces aren’t only found inside these buildings, they can be found outside as well. These communities can have open garden spaces as well as patios that are connected to the buildings to allow seniors to get fresh air and contact with one another outside. Allowing seniors to enjoy that open space in the sunshine and connect with nature is essential to their wellness. It allows them to see all of the nature surrounding them in the fresh air. As I’ve mentioned before, if it is wintertime, having large windows built into the buildings can help them still feel close to nature and have the sun shining on them while they are inside.
Pathways: When designing outside pathways, it’s important for architects to consider using paving materials that will reduce the number of hazards for seniors. This can include avoiding using materials that can cause glare in the sun, which can cause seniors to not see where they are stepping.
Along with this, senior living communities that have pathways created throughout open gardens on their property can be really beneficial to their residents. This is because their residents will be able to enjoy the garden without hurting any of the plants or flowers and they can remember where they came from just by following the path back. Exploring nature can increase their serotonin levels at the same time.
A very great aspect to include for memory care residents are clear paths they can recall better. Having an easy and simple layout of the community buildings can be essential to them when remembering where to go “home”. This can boost their confidence and improve their mental health in the long run.
Why Architecture is so Important in Senior Living Communities
I’ve mentioned some of the best ways architecture is used in senior living communities to improve their everyday lives. To keep senior residents safe, allow them to be independent, and improve their mental health, architecture is used. There are so many design ideas that can improve these communities for their senior residents. So, when you are finding living communities for your senior loved ones, keep these architectural aspects in mind.
Author: Adam Palmer
