LIFE-ENHANCING DESIGN: A New Model for Senior Couples
"[A] community within a community - a sense that we can cater to the spouse who's living with dementia and the caregiver spouse "By Becky Trybus CHID, EDAC, RID, IIDA
ICAN’TTHINKOFAMOREDIVERSEDESIGNMARKET than Senior Living Truly Its like a moving target for those of us working in it in any capacity Much is dependent on current demographics, location expectations and using evidence -based design to address core needs The function is rooted in healthcare and multi-family design and aesthetically influenced by hospitality and residential design Certainly a lot of variables to consider!
Last month I attended the Seniors Housing News BRAIN Memory Care Conference in Chicago The first session I attended was about keeping couples together at senior living properties while addressing the different spousal care needs; a topic I don’t usually hear too much about in the Senior Living conference circuit
Did you know the percentage of married seniors has increased in the past 50 years? According to the US Census Bureau it has Between increased life expectancy a shrinking age gap between men and women and remarriage families are looking for more senior living options that support both parents
Spotlight on Couples
Since the 1990s specialized care in senior living, like assisted living and memory care, came more into focus The built environment therefore needed to respond as well In the ensuing years, architects and interior designers have worked with developers on project specific solutions with ideas and designs carried over from one project to the other However in the session, Facing an Unmet in Need Memory Care: Keeping Couples Together, Reed Vandersilk, President and CEO of ThriveMore, a not-for-profit CCRC in North Carolina provided fresh insight on a new couples memory care model he and his team are working on to help mitigate a longstanding challenge: how one spouse with cognitive issues can receive the care she needs while the caregiver spouse has access to the care and relief he needs while also staying together
In collaboration with Rachael Wonderlin, a co-panelist and President of Dementia by Day a dementia care consulting
FORUM ARCHITECTURE AND INTERIOR DESIGN