Designing for the Elderly in the Context of a Continuum of Care
Professor George J Mann, AIA
The Skaggs - Sprague Endowed Chair of Health Facilities Design College of Architecture,
Texas A&M University USA
(Click to download full paper)
Ageing is a process not a disease. As people grow older, their friends, spouses and colleagues become ill and inevitably die.These losses are difficult to overcome: There is an ever growing percentage of the world’s population that is over the age of 65.
Background problems and issues
Brief overview of the background and interrelated basic issues regarding aging populations will be discussed. These issues include: social, geriatric, psychiatric and psychological problems, medical, financial isolation, boredom, fear of growing old, sensory loss.
We will need to conceptualise comprehensive, accessible, quality and affordable care for the elderly in a context of a “Continuum of Care”. Others go further and conceptualise a healthcare system of the future that will provide seamless care from the cradle to the grave or from the womb to the tomb.
Continuum of seamless healthcare for the elderly
How and where will we care for the aging population? A continuum of care is one answer. Home care: Maximizing the care and treatment of an ageing population in their homes (Aging in Place) is a highly desirable and economical approach to providing care for the ageing. This includes providing accessibility to community services, convenient transportation, recreational activities, work opportunities to independent living, day care, assisted living, skilled nursing facilities, Alzheimer’s facilities and hospice care.
Case studies of “Facilities for the Elderly” in the context of a “Continuum of Care” will be presented and discussed.
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