Planning for Intergenerational Design

Intergenerational facilities’ are shared areas where children, youth and older adults interact during scheduled or spontaneous activities creating togetherness for all ages. 

Clearly, the most important part of an intergenerational design is that the space must accommodate a variety of ages and activities. The place must have the feel and function of home by providing residents with the proper balance of privacy and community by incorporating effective safety and security measures and by promoting their independence and pride. It is critical to create spaces that are designed specifically for planned intergenerational activities while also creating flexible areas that would encourage unplanned, informal activities between all ages.

Some older adults enjoy interacting and playing with children while others prefer to just watch the children play from a distant; some like indoor play areas while others take pleasure in outdoor games. Intergenerational planned activities are feasible through music, art, cooking, gardening, and exercise. Focus areas for activities include the dining room, classroom, activity kitchen, craft room, multipurpose play room, and horticultural therapy area. Other levels of interactions can be provided by a one-way window to the children’s indoor play area, outdoor gardens outside of the older adults’ residence, small gathering spaces that would invite the older adults to interact informally among themselves as well as the children.

The goal is to make sure there are designed spaces specific for planned intergenerational activities and areas that would create spontaneous togetherness. 

Content provided by Neda Norouzi, B. Env. D., AIA, M. Arch, MURP

Culture Change Via Website

Carol Woods Retirement Community Chapel Hill N.C. is launching a major 14 month campus enhancement project in the coming weeks. We are working with our general contractor Clancy & Theys Construction Company Raleigh N.C. to create a website with a link to Carol Woods' main website accessible to all residents. The site will post weekly construction updates, progress schedules, utility disruptions, parking issues and interesting major remotely observable construction events such as precast concrete deck and steel erection for the sidewalk superintendents. This information link will reduce the discontent due to construction disruption, reduce the number of questions in the hallways about the process, reduce and shorten the requisite resident information meetings. Most importantly, the website will minimize potential resident anxiety from lack of information, reduce rumor, better prepare them for the inevitable interruptions and dislocations due to construction in their daily lives and hopefully earn their buy in and enthusiasm for the whole process. Additionally, it gives the residents a feeling of being involved in the construction process or you might say consulted during construction to understand the impacts. Throughout the design process, residents have been completely involved; and now through technology they will be in touch with regular website updates!

Content provided by Robert J. Call Jr., General Contractor and Project Coordinator of Carol Woods Retirement Community.

Environments for Aging

The Environments for Aging Conference is being held from April 29th through May 1st, 2012 in Orlando Florida.  There are two specific presentations that are recommended for attendance that will include reference to the Senior Living Sustainability GuideThe Environments for Aging Conference is being held from April 29th through May 1st, 2012 in Orlando Florida. There are two specific presentations that are recommended for attendance that will include reference to the Senior Living Sustainability Guide®:

E06 Concept to Construction – Designing and International Standard SNF in China, which will include information on China Senior Care and presented by Mark Spitalnik, David Green, and Jane Rohde on Monday, April 30, 2012 at 8:30 am.

E19 Creating Aging-Friendly Green Communities, which will include the description of the process for sustainability and culture changes as outlined in the Senior Living Sustainability Guide®, as well as examples of sustainable senior living communities, operations, and resident outcomes.  Elizabeth Brawley and Jane Rohde will be presenting on Monday, April 30, 2012 at 3:15 pm.

Hope to see you there!

2nd Healthcare Development Conference

JSR Associates, Inc. has been invited to present the Senior Living Sustainability Guide® at the Sustainable Healthcare and Hospital Development Conference held in Chicago from October 25-28, 2011.  This presentation will review the Guide and dimensions to create a successful project process for culture change and sustainability.  Information on the conference is available at  www.healthcaredevelopmentconference.com

Presentations on the Guide!

On Monday, August 15, 2011, John Amanat and Jane Rohde will be presenting the Senior Living Sustainability Guide® to the offices of Perkins Eastman across the country!  This is an exciting opportunity to get the word out about the Guide.  Stay tuned for educational offerings; including the Senior Living Sustainability Guide®: A Fresh Approachand a "How-to Use" series that is underdevelopment.  For more information on setting up a continuing education session via web or in person regarding the Guide, please contact me atjane@jsrassociates.net.  Thanks.

Integrated Approach for Successful Projects

Through discussions with the volunteer committee working on continual improvements to the Senior Living Sustainability Guide®, the group confirmed the need for continuity between each stage of a project development process in order to create a successful project.   In examples discussed, the reason culture change initiatives sometimes falter, is because there is not an integrated approach that follows through an entire project process.  There may only be a single strong advocate or a person leaves a community during the process, leaving a void that does not provide consistent information to the different teams working on portions of a project.  As a result, Version 2 of the Guide will include an Advisory Council that may be made up of 3 to 5 people that provide organizational, resident care model, operational, and programming information to integrated teams that are working on specific tasks during the overall project process.  The committee recommends including residents, dedicated staff, and board members to make up the Sustainability Advisory Council.  

Senior Living Sustainability Guide wins Innovation Award!

The Guide was selected as a winner of the 2011 Green Economy Business Opportunity Conference Innovator Contest!  The prize included the opportunity to pitch a business plan for expanding the Senior Living Sustainability Guide into an electronic platformed survey tool and an additional phase including full blown assessment and certification for senior living communities.   Lauren Erickson from JSR Associates, Inc. completed the presentation to local interested businesses in Baltimore, Maryland!  The best result of the award is the completion of a business plan for the future development of the Guide!  When we hear more about monetary contributions, we'll keep you posted!  Thanks. 

Welcome to the With Seniors in Mind, Inc. Blog for the Senior Living Sustainability Guide®!

Welcome to With Seniors in Mind, Inc. Blog for the Senior Living Sustainability Guide®!

So what is the Senior Living Sustainability Guide®?
It is a collaboration of a group of dedicated volunteers that wanted to expand the concept of sustainability beyond the physical environment; to include a process that supported resident-centered care models and culture change. The result includes addressing the pre-development stage of design, socio-cultural context, and the utilization of Four Dimensions – Resident, Organization, Operations and Physical Setting. The overall direction is to realize that sustaining outcomes over time is the most important for a resident living in a senior living setting. 

We hope to hear from you, as you start to explore and utilize the Guide. We are looking for input and comments to continually improve the Guide. Checklists are the next step in the development of the Guide and are currently planned to be available in November, 2011. 

In addition, we have set up this Blog in hopes of an exchange of ideas to occur on a regular basis; including senior living questions, interesting articles, sharing good news, etc! Looking forward to hearing from you!

Thanks!

Jane Rohde, AIA, FIIDA, ACHA, AAHID, LEED® AP
Chair of the SLSG Committee