Environments for Aging - Fall 2020 - 27

Technology, including tablets and video
conferencing programs, has played a big
role in giving families some much-needed
face time, but it's not a solution for all
residents, including those with cognitive
issues. While plexiglass dividers have
served as a short-term solution, some
states require more than just 6 feet of
distance between people, affecting the
overall experience as well as some seniors'
ability to hear conversations and interact.
Others states mandate that a staff member
accompany residents on visits, impacting
staffing and operations.
Beyond these temporary measures,
design professionals are starting to look
further down the road to consider how
existing spaces within a community might
be repurposed to accommodate in-person
visits. For example, Andrews says many
communities have a conference room or
family dining space near the entrance,
which could be reconfigured to allow for
visits within social distancing guidelines.

One anticipated bright spot in the industry's COVID-19 response is the renewed
attention to planning and design of outdoor
spaces, as these areas play an integral role
in safely accommodating visits and activities.
Patricia Gruits, senior principal and managing director at MASS Design Group (Boston),
says one of the biggest shifts she's seen,
especially in urban environments, is older
adults' reliance on passive landscape. "We've
seen more residents looking for loops and
trails that are easily accessible," she says. The
firm recently released a report, "Designing
Senior Housing for Safe Interaction: The Role
of Architecture in Fighting COVID-19," focusing specifically on multifamily affordable housing for older adults and providing ideas on
how to allow people to safely come together.
Addressing outdoor spaces, the recommendations include giving definition and variety,
such as activity areas, porches, or meditation
spaces, to meet a variety of residents' needs.
Having multiple options also helps reduce the
traffic load on any one area.

Looking forward
While there's much still left to address before socialization in communities can safely
return to pre-COVID-19 levels, Simonetti
says he's glad to see his clients aren't kneejerk reacting to the pandemic and starting
to plan for physical changes that they'll have
to live with for decades to come. "I'd rather
see people wait until the immediate crisis is
past," he says.
Several architecture firms as well as
industry organizations are developing toolkits
and reports, such the American Institute of
Architects' "Strategies for Safer Senior Living
Communities," to help guide conversations
between design teams and communities-
when the time is right. Meanwhile, the industry
will remain focused on "getting through this."
Simonetti says. "And then we can think about
where we go from here." EFA
Anne DiNardo is executive editor of Environments
for Aging. She can be reached at anne.dinardo@
emeraldx.com.

Fall 2020 * EFAmagazine.com

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Environments for Aging - Fall 2020

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