Healthcare Design - December 2020 - 56

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JANE ROHDE

Founder and principal, JSR Associates (Catonsville, Md.)
Jane Rohde's passion for design for elders and vulnerable
populations has inspired a career in senior living, where she
worked on the developer side before opening her own design
and consulting firm. The senior living expert shared her insight to help
inform healthcare design for seniors during the recent HCD Virtual. When she
needs a break from it all, she hits the road on her Harley or seeks out the nearest
wave in a sail boat.-Anne DiNardo

I was working at Erickson Retirement Communities
when they decided to outsource design services, so
I took the opportunity to start my firm. The philosophy was based upon identifying the gap between
operations and design; however, it was still years
before this need was recognized as an issue.

W H AT WA S Y O U R F I R M ' S
FIRST PROJECT?
An older apartment building in Baltimore that
was being redeveloped to accommodate seniors.
It taught me the importance of a collaborative
process and involving users to build spaces that
support the care population, staff, and visitors.

W H AT D E S I G N L E S S O N D O Y O U
T H I N K H E A LT H C A R E C O U L D
LEARN FROM SENIOR LIVING?
I recently presented at HCD Virtual on inclusive
design solutions to support lighting, acoustical,
mobility, and thermal comfort. Healthcare settings
tend to look only at the diagnosis of patients versus
the demographic, which is often older adults,
including those with varying abilities. Recognizing
this demographic and using inclusive approaches
can improve outcomes and the environment for all.

W H AT ' S A N E W H O B B Y
YOU'VE PICKED UP SINCE THE
C O R O N AV I R U S P A N D E M I C ?
A few years ago I ran a gallery in historic Ellicott City,
Md. Our first exhibit had a " recycled " theme, and I
created a sculpture called " Curtain Call " by rolling my
local theater programs (about 30 years' worth) into
long tubes. The piece needed some repair, so I've been
fixing it as well as experimenting with negative and
positive space by assembling new rolls. These moments
have helped with anxiety and the need to burn off
energy in the hopes of creating something beautiful.

OUTSIDE THE OFFICE, YOU'LL
L I K E LY F I N D M E ...
On my Harley Tri-Glide, which I named Plus One, or
sailing a monohull or trimaran. When you're riding
or sailing, you have to focus and everything else goes
away, except the wind, sun, rain, water, sky, sunset ...
you get the picture.

Night owl.

F IC T IO N O R
NO NF IC T IO N?
Fiction-historic, preferably.

BA ND / M USIC A L
A R T IST
Bruce Springsteen and
The E Street Band and
James Bay.

ICE CREAM FLAVOR
Coffee.

F IR ST A LBUM YO U
EV ER BO UG H T
" Kiss " by Kiss.

Matching unusual flavors together that seem to somehow work into amazing meals. For example, I wanted
something to go with lamb and had a box of plums, so
I pitted them and baked them to create sweetness to go
with the lamb over rice. Then I made some kale chips
with sea salt to add some crunch and contrast. Love
that sweet and salty combination!

1

LiveTogether, a nonprofit that I established with
my JSR team to support intergenerational living.
We've worked on four different types of sites,
including one in Detroit.

2
3

Evermore Senior Living in northern Virginia, a
residential assisted living (RAL) model.

Willow Haven Senior Living in Carmel, Ind., an
RAL model.

DECEMBER 2020

M O R NING P ER SO N
O R NIG H T O W L?

Y O U R H I D D E N TA L E N T ?

THREE SENIOR LIVING DESIGN
PROJECTS YOU'VE WORKED
ON IN THE LAST YEAR

56

Coffee.

HCDMAGAZINE.COM

P LAYS
August Wilson,
" Fences " and " Ma
Rainey's Black Bottom, "
and Henrik Ibsen, " An
Enemy of the People "
and " Ghosts. "

IF YO U W ER EN'T
A N A R C H IT EC T
YO U W O ULD BE...
An archaeologist.
They're historians in
action, unearthing
buildings and cultures
of the past to better understand how people
lived.

NICOLE LOWDER (EVERMORE)

WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO
OPEN YOUR OWN FIRM?

C O F F EE O R T EA ?
http://www.HCDMAGAZINE.COM
Healthcare Design - December 2020

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