Access for All: Critical Design Considerations for Behavioral Health-Focused Senior Housing Communities
Access for All: Critical Design Considerations for Behavioral Health-Focused Senior Housing Communities
A full version of this piece was previously published in "Seniors Housing Business." Read the original piece here.
At a home for seniors with behavioral health conditions, a resident was continually setting off the emergency alarm system. In addition to triggering disruptive, audible alarms multiple times a day, the resident’s actions were costing the facility thousands of dollars for each response.
This is a fairly common occurrence in residential care settings that were not initially designed to house individuals living with behavioral and mental health conditions.
Staff at this home had three options: sedate, restrain, or place the resident in seclusion — all of which would negatively impact the resident. However, this ultimatum was easily avoidable had the space been more intentionally designed for populations with behavioral health needs.
For example, the space could have been planned to avoid public-facing alarm pull stations, or key-operated manual emergency stations could have been specified during the design process. In this case, the building’s design failed its users.
To achieve the ultimate goal of elevating the lives of residents within these communities, the buildings themselves must focus on the resident through thoughtful implementation of design elements that support their unique needs.
Scott Bales & Amy Cheever
With over 20 percent of adults age 60 and over suffering from a mental or neurological disorder, and the World Health Organization (WHO) expecting to see this number increase over the next several years, increasing support for these individuals through design is critical.
At Cuningham, we consider multiple factors when designing for populations with behavioral health needs, seniors included. While traditionally there has been a lack of resources provided to this demographic, programs enacted within the past several years are allowing for more intentional creation of spaces to serve seniors and others with specialized behavioral and mental health needs.
As an example, in California, the Community Care Expansion (CCE) program is working to increase housing and help seniors with histories of mental health or behavioral health issues find housing (in residential care settings) that is specifically designed to meet their needs.
To achieve the ultimate goal of elevating the lives of residents within these communities, the buildings themselves must focus on the resident through thoughtful implementation of design elements that support their unique needs.
Read the rest of Scott and Amy's piece here.
