Healthcare Design - May 2015 - 19

MONITOR
EFA CONFERENCE REVIEW

Using empathy to create better senior
communities
The 9th annual Environments for Aging Conference kicked off in Baltimore on
April 19 with an opening keynote by Marc Agronin, a geriatric psychiatrist and
medical director for mental health and clinical research at Miami Jewish Health
Systems in Miami.
During his presentation, Agronin cautioned that carrying negative associations
with aging can limit thinking and constrict how we approach design. "Too often
people define old age by a declining mind," he said. "This is just one dimension of
getting older."
Using quotes from famous philosophers, artists, and authors, Agronin discussed
how perceptions of aging have been the same for centuries. However, modern studies on the brain show areas such as creativity persist and even grow as we age and
that cognition and emotional skills can follow new patterns with maturity.
Agronin said the trend toward person-centered care is creating more homelike
settings for residents and providing people with more choices in how they live. To
further improve these environments, he suggested, designers, architects, and owners need to bring a more empathic approach to their work to truly allow residents to
blossom. For example, they can look at what's changed in an Alzheimer's patient's
perception and then build a space that accommodates that, rather than one that
simply accommodates how a caregiver will attend to that person.
Overall, Agronin said, optimal designs can be found when providers and project
teams take the time to connect with residents and better understand their needs.
"Put design aside and think about who we're designing for before we jump in," he
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OVERHEARD AT EFA CONFERENCE

"I think we're overestimating the
demand for short stay. The ability to provide
rehab outside skilled nursing is going to become
much more predominant in the next two to
three years, and it'll be driven by payers and
consumers. But my fear is we'll have a surplus
of beds. And then what do you do?"
-Consultant Scott Townsley during an expert panel discussion on design trends in
senior living communities

"I was not able to walk away from it and say
there's nothing I can do."
-Interior designer Betsy Brawley, sharing how her mother's diagnosis with
Alzheimer's inspired her career's work in research, theory, and practice to help
seniors and their families, particularly through environments that support those with
dementia. Brawley was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from The Center
for Health Design.

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Healthcare Design - May 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Healthcare Design - May 2015