By Mackenna Moralez, Associate Editor

It is improbable to design something solely for one person. Designers need to approach senior community projects with the knowledge that many different types of people will be using the space daily. Creating spaces that are accessible and safe for everyone will make the transition to their new home easier. 

Healthcare Facilities Today recently spoke with Grant Warner, senior housing practice leader, BKV Group on how designers can get themselves better acquainted with the facilities they are creating. 

HFT: How can lighting design help prevent injuries and improve visibility, especially at night? 

Grant Warner: Indirect lighting is key to reduce glare and improve the consistency of lighting across spaces. 

Motion sensors and night-lighting located discreetly under a residents bed can softly illuminate the pathway from the bed to the bathroom without overwhelming glare and can automatically dim after use. 

On a 2024 visit to Elevate Safepoint’s Clearwater Florida community, ten of us stayed overnight to try and learn how to be better designers and operators for senior living communities. We each donned vision loss simulation glasses of various types and explored the community, studying the finishes, lighting, furnishings, signage, meals/flatware and artwork and were surprised by how well that community had been designed.

Design decisions like soft indirect lighting, high contrast between seating and the floor and high contrast signage proved to be successful examples of improving our confidence in living in the spaces (even if only for 24 hours.) Even the presentation of the meals was carefully designed to be easier for those of us wearing the simulation glasses – whereas the utensils were easy to see and comfortable to grasp with vision loss, the armchairs had arms that gave us a sense of security / alleviated some fear of falling and the flatware was easy to see with the food made more colorful and appealing by contrast. 

Related Content: What is the WELL Health-Safety Rating and How Does it Apply to Senior Care Facilities? 

HFT: What strategies can help minimize noise levels to reduce stress and confusion for residents? 

GW: Disguising nurse stations inside open residential “Family Kitchens” can not only de-institutionalize the appearance of that important function but also concentrate and mitigate the myriad of noises associated with staff stations like that. 

HFT: What security features should be included to prevent unauthorized access while maintaining resident freedom? 

GW: One technique we have been using is to intentionally place vendor-services spaces on the outside perimeter of a project to reduce the frequency of outside support personnel entering the residents’ “home” (whether that be the apartment itself or apartment building as a whole.) This not only improves safety but reduces disruptions and prioritizes privacy. 

Newer Bluetooth based security systems are more affordable and maintainable since they require no electrical infrastructure and no batteries to maintain since they can recharge wirelessly. They are also smaller, and therefore more discreet to be less evident to those who might pose a security threat. They can be monitored by numerous staff on their mobile devices instead of hardwired to a single location. 

Power Over Ethernet (POE) holds even more potential to improve security by vastly increasing connectivity of residents, 5G systems, wireless sensors and apps for deeper more redundant security for communities. 

HFT: What design elements help protect against natural disasters like earthquakes, floods, or extreme weather? 

GW: Passive solutions, such as roof shape, overhang depth, building orientations, porous landscape design and even window type selection (awning windows instead of single-hung) can help make a senior living community more resilient not just to survive a natural disaster but to enable the building to return to use as shelter immediately for the duration of the recovery. 

Reduced consumption of power, water and fuels not only saves a community money during normal operations but with reduced demand it’s easier to provide backups and alternatives for lower loads. 

Power Over Ethernet systems have tremendous potential to help in emergencies since they not only reduce overall electrical loads but reduce distribution hazards throughout a building by utilizing low voltage wiring that cannot arc or short-circuit and is safer in a building that may be damaged or require immediate emergency repairs for critical needs. 

Some local authorities, like Overland Park and Olathe Kansas, are expanding requirements for storm shelters through local building code amendments that require them for some (or all) R and I type occupancies which include most senior living uses. 

Mackenna Moralez is the associate editor of the facilities market and the host of the Facilities in Focus podcast.