Insights & Solutions

This webinar will discuss what we need to do in the built environment to promote brighter days and darker nights. The presenter will share the latest research in light science and will show examples of applications where a robust 24-hour light and dark scheme in numerous environments improved sleep, mood, and behavior in various older adult populations.  

It reflects the coordinated and on-going efforts of a team of individuals to advance it from its initial stage -- as an AIA Design for Aging Knowledge Community white paper to push for revisions to the Americans’ with Disabilities Act – to a two-phase, comparative analysis study of elders living in nursing homes, and then to efforts to get the results included in revised codes and guidelines.  

Kim, D., Chang, C., Margrett, J. (2021). Health Environments Research and Design Journal. DOI: 10.1177/1937586720988616.

As individuals age, physical, mental, and societal challenges become more prevalent. This intensive one-day virtual workshop explores those challenges and discusses programming and design interventions that can assist people (and caregivers). Expert faculty will present case studies and examples that integrate architecture, design and technology into living environments that are not only safe, but foster wellness and longevity.

This engaging webinar panel will bring together a diverse group of industry thought leaders to explore where these challenges exist and how the built environment, technology, community, and innovative new models could reshape the future of health, wellness and how and where we will age.  

In this workshop, expert faculty will share current physical, mental and societal challenges posed when individuals age, discuss programming and design interventions that can assist people (and their care givers) with those challenges, and present case studies and examples that integrate architecture, design and technology into healthy, safe living environments. 

This webinar explores key design strategies and best practices for creating great environments for aging in place. From principles of universal design and biophilia to the role of technology and building materials, multiple elements of successful environments will be discussed. Presenters will also address some of the hurdles in creating effective environments for aging in place, including licensing and staffing, and will examine a case study of one operator’s unique approach. Participants will walk away from this session with more tools for creating environments for aging in place.

This webinar will share the results of this unique research project, tell their stories and first hand perspectives, and uncover what is working and what is not in various care environments. Through this alternative vision, attendees will benefit from these researchers’ findings and insights as they consider the design of environments for this significant group of elders. 

Understanding the personal abilities and unique challenges faced by aging individuals, especially those living with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, better equips design teams to create supportive care and living spaces. Changes that can be credited to dementia are noticeably different from the changes typical of normal aging, but both can occur at the same time. 

Understanding the personal abilities and unique challenges faced by aging individuals, especially those living with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, better equips design teams to create supportive living spaces. Devising goals that target single symptoms and objectives is not always practical, however, because changes associated with aging, Alzheimer’s disease, and other dementias tend to appear in “clusters” rather than in isolation. The design-based evidence associated with designing supportive memory care settings results in 12 programmatic design strategies.