LIFE-ENHANCING DESIGN:
A New Model for Senior Couples
By Becky Trybus CHID, EDAC, RID, IIDA
Thought Leadership
ICAN’TTHINKOFAMOREDIVERSEDESIGNMARKET than Senior Living Its 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 dont 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 1990's 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 couple’s 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 company, Reed and Rachael discussed how their collaboration began while Reed further addressed some of the operations feasibility and design issues with the new care model and some issues to be worked out (Ex: How does this get licensed?)
As a separate neighborhood on the campus the main concept is designed as a circular community with 12 homes each looking like a home on the outside including a yard front porch and a one care garage and feeling like a home on the inside but with a studio apartment attached at the back of the home When the caregiver spouse needs to leave the other spouse is taken to the studio apartment and cared for by a staff caregiver The studio apartment opens to a circular corridor with an adult day care center that further opens to an outdoor courtyard Rachael describes this concept as a community within a community - a sense that we can cater to the spouse who’s living with dementia and the caregiver spouse And the caregiver spouse gets the benefit of being able to engage with other caregiver spouses within this community”
"[A] community within a community - a sense that we can cater to the spouse who's living with dementia and the caregiver spouse. "
forumarchitecturecom
The corridor adult day space and courtyard are secured providing memory care residents a nested Greenhouse model experience to come and go through these areas independently Reed also mentioned the possibility of leasing the adult day space to a third-party operator to provide more affordable options for the area ’ s middle market seniors and serve as a childrens day care; first for staff then opening it up the public making this an additional nested experience taking a cue from the intergenerational model
While market studies, proformas, and entitlements shape the development landscape Jessica McCullum co-panelist and Vice-President of Operations at ThriveMore explained how working with Leading age for industry trends, using evidencebased industry standards and resident satisfaction surveys is further helping to inform their decisions throughout the design and development process
The estimated cost to complete the project is $11 million including site work The project is projected to take 12-18 months to build and the cost for residents depending on the level of care needed for the caregiver spouse and including the care for the dementia afflicted spouse, is estimated between $12-15K per month
These units are attached to the memory care wing so the spouse with dementia could access care services while the caregiver spouse had options for their own care services and can take their spouse outside the building The units are designed as one and two bedroom options allowing couples to continue living together within the facilities supportive systemForum is currently working on an independent and assisted living community that will offer flex units with one bedroom and one bedroom plus den options giving couples the ability to access services for two different levels of care while living together in one facility
FORUM ARCHITECTURE AND INTERIOR DESIGN
