Ideal Retirement community design

 

As human beings age, their bodies change in many different ways. There are variations of changes that can be anticipated to take place through the initial and mid adult years and these changes are felt inversely by every person depending on many aspects. As is illustrated by Bee & Bjorklund (2000), the getting old process normally initiates during the primary adulthood. When people reach thirty years, there are many changes that begin to occur in altered sections of their bodies. A good example is the stiffening and thickening of the eye lens which results in fluctuations in vision which affects the capacity to emphasis on close objects. Hair also begins to thin and turn grey when one reaches 35 years although for some people it can happen earlier and others later (Bee & Bjorklund, 2000). The skin as well gets drier and on starts to get wrinkles when the mid adulthood stage is coming to an end. The immune system also becomes less proficient at rebelling against illnesses and procreative capacity begins to weaken.

 When people get to the age of 60, it is common for their eyes not to see well, such that they are not really able to focus on one item with changes in distance, a condition known as presbyopia (Bee & Bjorklund, 2000). People in the mid adult age stage are similarly at higher threats for some eye problems for instance glaucoma, their sense of hearing also greatly decline. Another change hat is noticed is with the skin that continues dry out and get rough which cause the forming of wrinkles mostly on the delicate face regions. Age spots and the blood vessels at this stage become more noticeable because the skin is much drier and it continues to become thinner. As is indicated by Bee & Bjorklund (2000), the last stage is the late adulthood that is basically the age from 65 years, at this stage, the skin continues to loose elasticity, the muscle power and mobility reduces, hearing and vision weaken and the immune system wholly deteriorates. The aging course results in fluctuations and lower running in the brain which pointers to decreased rational function. Memory degenerates at this stage and so the older people have a tougher time recollecting and attending to data.

Retirement for most people means having a break from the normal work life, it is the time for one to rest and enjoy a peaceful life and this is where retirement community comes in. A retirement community is supposed to be a society where the older adults get to live in their last years in a comfortable and friendly environment. Over the last 20 years, the civilization has experienced a substantial change in both medical and non-medical personal upkeep for the seniors away from increased cost institutional settings to lower cost and more socially suitable models. The community should be designed in such a manner that it caters for both physical and emotional needs of the seniors and this includes matters of health and socialization.

Principles for the retirement community design

There are three principles that will be focused on when it comes designing this retirement community,

1. Expectations

As a principle of the retirement community design, expectations focuses on the residents expectations of what the retirement community should be for them and this include; independence, social and lifestyle, connectedness and linkages, diversity, enabling and evolving and sustainability.

The villas and apartments of the residents will encompass the design of the entire community which will include shared buildings such as club houses, libraries and swimming pools as well a communal garden walkways and roads. This design will facilitate choice and allow the residents to take part in many of the activities that they want. As Bee & Bjorklund (2000) indicate, as people get old, they greatly struggle to uphold independence as they try to manage their own lives even with the health issues that they face due to their age. This sort of design also greatly helps to enhance independence for the residents through supported living. The physical environment for the retirement residents should be designed to allow the residents to make social and lifestyle choices (Handler, 2014). It should provide appropriate physical access, spaces and amenity that encourage residents to maintain an active fulfilling life. The retirement community design in this case will take into consideration that some of the residents may still be working in their later years and hence will require privacy and also good working environment. The design will ensure that the community is flexible for those that are working at home and this will be done through the incorporation of facilities hat favour this work adventures for instance incorporation of multipurpose meeting areas.

Connection and friendships are important in helping the aged to feel loved and to have people to engage in fun activities that make them happy. Creating an environment where opportunities exist for people to make new connections as well as friendships is important for a retirement community (Handler, 2014). It is however also important to respect people’s privacy and understand that not all residents seek out new connections. The community residence will in this case be designed to ensure that the residents are provided with the flexibility to fulfil their desires to either be independent or be part of the community and where social life styles thrive and develop organically. The design will incorporate community gardens and communal areas which will provide opportunities for resident’s families and friends to gather and catch up. The design will also ensure that the residents are offered similar creature comforts and expectations and this will be done through creation of pet friendly environment which will greatly help to keep the residents happy.

It is always important for the seniors to have meaningful social connections with their friends and family as well as the broader community (Bee & Bjorklund, 2000). The community will designed in such a manner that it provides the residents with flexibility so that travelling to services and amenities will be minimised and be within easy reach. This means that the home will be located in an area that is close to hospitals, shopping malls and other important amenities that the residents may need. The houses will be designed in a manner that assists and eases mobility so that it is easy for the residents to move around irrespective of their health conditions.

Aging is a lifelong process where people and their families acquire or develop health issues. This creates a diverse range of physical and mental abilities in the people that live in the seniors’ community (Bee & Bjorklund, 2000). The design will accommodate the richness and diversity of the broader community and this will be done by incorporating different arts from all over the world in the building structures. The community will also create room for cultural social events to be held within the community which will allow for the residents to appreciate different cultures and also allow or more social connections among the residents. Various religions will put into considerations and so the community will be situated in a location where residents can access various religious settings such as churches, mosques and other religious amenities. There will be no restrictions set in regard to religion as long as it does not affect a peaceful living setting for the residents.

Bee & Bjorklund (2000), aging is a natural process and it requires that the natural environment adapts to the evolving social and physical needs of the people. The physical environment should be flexible enough to evolve over time in order to meet the constantly changing needs of the existing and future residents as they become more susceptible to various health conditions such as dementia or arthritis among others (Handler, 2014). The doors to various amenities and rooms will be numbered and the correct signage to help illustrate various things will be put in place which all supports an evolving environment.

2. Place and identity

The second principle is place and identity which basically deals with the emotional connection for the residents to the physical environment and what they would want their homes and community to be like. Bee & Bjorklund (2000), as people age most especial in the middle and late adult phases, the start to experience memory degeneration and their emotional states also change. This means that these people need a lot of love and comfort and the facility that they live should feel warm, friendly and also secure. The retirement community will be designed in such a way that the residents live a normal life with quality level of amenity and support including a variety of lifestyle choices. In order to ensure that the community feels like home, matters of privacy will be considered and this will be done through organization of spaces from the private that include the bathrooms, to the semi-private which is the bedroom and laundry room and to the public which include the living room, dining room, kitchen and balcony.

Door bells, peepholes, security doors and front door intercom will be incorporated to help create a sense of safety as well as privacy for the residents in their various apartments. In case of emergencies, whether security or medical, the residential will have a smart house system that is able to recognize a resident that is under duress and alert the appropriate external sources. The community will also have varieties of panic buttons all over the environment which will help the residents to alert the management in case of any emergencies. The residential will be designed in such a way that it is well lit, comfortable and have temperature that suit them that is not too cold nor too hot. It will be structured in such a way that it is spatial and has loose furniture arrangements which will allow for the pursuit of a broad range of social activities.

3. Enabling environments

The third principle is enabling environments which are focused on providing a physical environment that addresses the physical and emotional needs of the residents which overtime also evolves to address their future requirements. Bee & Bjorklund (2000), old age comes with walking problems, reduced muscle strength and health problems that limit activities requiring frequent bending.  These environments must address all the physical, social and emotional requirements over time and some of the issues that are directly related to the physical environment include age friendly design, access and way finding, flexible environments, safety and security, communication and innovation and  external environment. The community design will take into consideration the fact that reduced mobility is something that greatly affects a person’s capacity for reaching and bending in normal daily activities.

Reduced mobility will have an impact on the distance of travel both within and outside the residence and there are increased fall risks (Handler, 2014). To deal with this issue, there will be walking frames installed all over the community and wheel chairs as well as powered mobility scooters will also be readily availed within the community. The design will ensure that a potential impact of having this mobility aids is considered in the creation of spaces and elements of the buildings such as basins and bench tops. The apartments will be designed in such a way that they have sufficient spaces for care givers that will be assisting the residents who have an issue with mobility. The whole setting will have additional features for support and mobility in order to ensure that the residents are comfortable and also safe as they move around the community. The designs will take into considerations, the physical limitations for instance bending; stretching also climbing that greatly affects the seniors.

Bee & Bjorklund (2000) aging comes with cognitive problems, such that the senior adults tend to frequently forget important details such as their routes home and direction to other important facilities that they need to get to. In regard to access and way finding for the seniors, the community will be designed in such a way that there is a layering of way finding cues that will help people to orientate themselves. This will include the hierarchy of spaces such as the widths and heights of hallways, corridors and doorways. Secondary spaces will be positioned around primary communal spaces which will provide clear sight lines without any need for way finding along corridors. The overall design will help minimise way finding choices which in turn reduces potential confusion and disorientation. Unique orientation landmarks and different colours as well as texture will be utilize to help define various destinations and to help create a deeper orientation for the residents that are still growing old and will hence need defining features to keep them alert and aware of their environment.

Some of the common issues that are encountered by seniors are sleeping disorders which include insomnia (Bee & Bjorklund, 2000). This means that the physical environment may be used in a way that is not considered the norm in the broader community context. Dusk and dawn can create potential hazards for the seniors because of their poor eyesight and so the design will ensure that the community is well lit both during the day and night (Handler, 2014). In regard to safety and security, the community will be well fenced where appropriate, with locks and screen appropriately incorporated. To avoid physical hazards, stairs and ramps will be avoided and where they are necessary, they will be designed in such a way that level differences, surface finishes and hand rails are considered. The vegetation that will be planted in the community will be appropriately selected to avoid poisonous species and also those that cause a lot of leaf and seed litter.

The growth of the web and social media is important as it allows the residents to remain socially connected to the broader community (Handler, 2014). It also supports an individual to maintain their social independence. The design will incorporate telecommunications and other technologies supporting connectivity within the community. The infrastructure that is capable of providing the maximum bandwidth and the fastest speed will be considered for the community because it will allow the residents to effectively interact with the rest of the world. Wireless technology will also be incorporated in the design which will allow the use of mobile devices to receive and also input data. The external environment is important in supporting residents’ independence and overall health. The community will have external built environments that engage and resonate with the recreational needs of the residents. There will be sporting functions, gardening activities, cooking hubs, education programs and exercise activities which will greatly help the residents to socialize and it will also be a good way of encouraging good physical health.

Conclusion

A good design should be one that creates great environments to live and they create appropriate space for the seniors to live and also lead to a whole range of beneficial health and wellbeing outcomes. With the increasing aging population, it is important that their homes are designed in a principled manner that ensures that the residents maintain and extend independence, retain privacy and maximise potential health and wellbeing benefits of living in a community village.

 

 

 

 

 

References

Bee, H. L., & Bjorklund, B. R. (2000). The journey of adulthood. Upper Saddle River, N.J:

            Prentice Hall.

Handler, Sophie (2014) An Alternative Age-Friendly Handbook. UK Urban Aging

            Consortium, The University of Manchester Library, Manchester.