Healthcare Design - March 2017 - 11

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OUR CHANGING
UNIVERSE

More and more healthcare spaces include special
accommodations for some users. But with the
rapidly aging population, that won't be enough
By Kristin D. Zeit

goes to press, the team behind
Healthcare Design and Environments for Aging
is simultaneously preparing for the EFA Expo &
Conference in Las Vegas (Feb. 26-March 1). As
such, the senior population is on my mind-as it
should be for everyone who works in designing
public spaces.
We talk about the statistics surrounding the
aging baby boomer population a lot, so I won't go
into them again here. But indulge me in reminding you that as the segment of senior Americans
grows significantly over the next decade, the concept of "environments for
aging" will expand well beyond independent and assisted living communities and nursing homes. Every environment needs to be a senior environment, including retail stores, government buildings and corporate offices,
and cities and towns.
Of course that means healthcare facilities, too. The older the patient, the
more likely she is to have one or more impairments that need accommodation. Now combine that with the proliferation of ambulatory care facilities,
which is likely to translate into hospitals largely handling only the highestacuity cases. You know what group needs the most acute care? Right. Seniors.
But the challenge for all designers is how to meet the needs of this group
in a way that still welcomes and embraces people of all ages and abilities.
The concept of universal design is a promising start: Championed by architects, product designers, engineers, and environmental design researchers, its goal is design that can be used by "all people, to the greatest extent
possible, without adaptation or specialized design," according to the Center for Universal DeUNIVERSAL DESIGN
sign at NC State University in Raleigh, N.C. The
MEANS GOING BEYOND
point is seamlessness throughout a space rather
than a few alternative options here and there.
ADA AND BUILDING
For healthcare, it means going beyond ADA
CODES.
and building codes and looking at every area
from the parking lot through the lobby and all
the way through discharge for ways to accommodate (and comfort, and
delight) anyone. We're already on a roll with the inclusion of more natural
light-one common universal design principle-wherever we can get it.
But wider doorways, no thresholds, clear entries, acoustical controls, and
thoughtful furniture and fixture choices can be incorporated much more
broadly, whether it's a massive hospital campus or a small eye care clinic.
Architects and product designers alike have a real opportunity to get creative as they learn to look at every space through the eyes of multiple users,

and I'd love to hear more about what you may
have in the works already. For other insight and
ideas regarding universal design and healthcare,
check out The Center for Health Design's recent
brief on the topic (go to Healthdesign.org and
search "universal design"), as well as our article
in the November 2016 issue's Monitor section on
the Mary Free Bed YMCA, a universally designed
hospital, YMCA, and wellness center project. 

AS THIS ISSUE

forum

Sept. 6-8
Cliff House, Cape Neddick, Maine

March 22, Nashville
May 17, Dallas
June 13, Chicago (during NeoCon)
PUBLISHER

Kristin D. Zeit
kristin.zeit@emeraldexpo.com
513.717.1155
NATIONAL ACCOUNT MANAGER

Scott C. Goist
scott.goist@emeraldexpo.com
216.288.4170
ACCOUNT MANAGER

Liliana Connolly
lil@viscidi.com
781.492.1509

ACCOUNT MANAGER

Paul Bienkowski
pbienkowski@cox.net
860.644.3861
ACCOUNT MANAGER

Phyllis Viscidi
phyllis@viscidi.com
781.431.1320

ACCOUNT MANAGER

Phil Viscidi
phil@viscidi.com
781.431.1320

ACCOUNT MANAGER, NORTHEAS T

Ginnie Lowder
virginialowder@gmail.com
254.749.7484

MARCH 2017

http://www.Healthdesign.org

Healthcare Design - March 2017

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