Architectural Designs for an Aging Population
Image courtesy of Hogeweyk
To Live, To Age, To Thrive
“Most people say that they don’t want to grow old, but they also want to live a long time,” says Laura Carstensen, Director of the Stanford Center on Longevity. In the 20th century, modern technologies and medicine produced a “longevity dividend,” the extension of the average human lifespan. According to the Institute of Aging, in 1985, older adults constituted approximately 11 percent of the U.S. population, or 26 million; by 2030, this is expected to grow to 20 percent. Perennials, a term coined by Laura Carstensen, Director of the Stanford Center on Longevity, describes people 60 years and older. The term reimagines a more positive approach to aging: flora perennials bloom every year--people can too. Perennials, despite a longer lifespan, are often subject to increased medical needs. Generic institutionalized care, lack of family time and/or support, decreased mobility and isolated senior centers uphold the degenerative, alien perception of the older population in America. Whether they have cognitive or physical impairments, people of all ages and abilities deserve consideration in American real estate and architecture. As Jos Boys states in “Disability, Space, Architecture”, stimulation and activity are not only for the “productive and competent body” but also for the more vulnerable. Successful precedents, like Hogeweyk, a residential care facility in the Netherlands, connect an aging population with modern society. As design professionals, we have the opportunity to support and promote modern, multi-generational communities through architecture.
Image courtesy of Hogeweyk
Care and Housing for an Aging Population
The issue to secure affordable, competent care and housing is a main concern for an aging population. “Homes for the aged” predate the 1965 enactment of Medicare and Medicaid, government programs that now financially support modern day senior living operations. After 1965, government assistance at the federal and state levels helped lower income citizens finance personal care. The National Center for Assisted Living documents 800,000 current residents in Assisted Living Facilities (ALF), not including the number of residents within Skilled Nursing Facilities. Inadequate care management, subpar layouts, little opportunity for privacy: these are just a few chief complaints in institutionalized care environments in the United States, ranging from residents to family members. According to American Associations of Retired Persons (AARP), aging-in-place, or remaining in your primary home, is most preferred. How can design bridge the gap between place and care for an aging population?
Dementia-friendly Design
European senior living models differ from that of the United States. In the Netherlands, one project pioneered a movement in care design: the Hogeweyk. Crafted for those with Dementia, the Hogeweyk is an enclosed village in Weesp, Netherlands, with twenty-three residential clusters and amenities modeled after seven diverse lifestyles in Dutch culture: Goois (upper class), homey, Christian, artisan, Indonesian, urban and cultural. Unique characteristics, like warmer indoor temperatures in the Indonesian neighborhood and lace tablecloths in the Goois neighborhood, acclimate relocated users to their new home.
The designers reimagined the “Care Facility” by reintroducing the users’ previous lifestyle in a manageable variation. Hogeweyk anchors the resident in their state of Dementia with a sense of familiarity and independence. The community ensures quality care, security and engagement for all 152 residents and guests. Individual households contain either six or seven bedrooms, depending on shared or private preference; these are situated along the southern edge of the village. Approximately half of the village is an enclosed construct and the other half is related outdoor space generated by the inverse forms. The exterior wall of the village is open visually to the surrounding area while maintaining a secure physical perimeter. Residents, requiring varied levels of assistance from staff, family and volunteers, complete common tasks on the grounds, like grocery shopping. Hogeweyk supports not only the residents but serves employees and visitors in a sophisticated environment. An aging population is inclusive of all ages and abilities; the collaboration of generations is encouraged and an active part of the successful care model at Hogeweyk. The facility is not-for-profit and welcomes visitors from the Weesp community of 17,000 and beyond.
Image courtesy of Hogeweyk
In an ideal society, design supports a high quality of life for an aging population. Public and private infrastructure can be tailored to support both a general user and a user with different abilities. The current senior living landscape in the United States includes a range of typologies, from independent living developments to memory care facilities, with little relationship to the user’s former lifestyle.
In the next blog post of this series, we identify a typical institutionalized senior living facility in the United States, a reimagined senior center and design advancements for an aging population.
By: Jessica Campese, GKV Architects