Long-term care (LTC) facilities must use smart design decisions to meet the needs of the growing number of patients under 65, according to an article on the McKnight's Long-Term Care News website.

According to the 2015 Nursing Home Data Compendium, in 2014 15.5 percent of long-term care patients were under 65, up from 10 percent in 1998. 

Working with designers from the outset of the planning process can lead to lasting opportunities with this emerging class of patient.

In planning its projects, facilities should create a comprehensive client brief for its architects. The brief describes all functional requirements for the design — not only for residents but also for how staffing will operate, what social or family interactions might occur within the facility, what communal amenities are needed, and how to integrate these factors into the design without giving the facility an institutional feel, the article said.

Read the article.