Includes Literature Review & Identifies Key Environmental Features that Influence Safety
CONCORD – A new report published by The Center for Health Design (CHD) finds that the built environment plays a significant role in providing safe care to residents in long-term care settings. Funded by the Hulda B. and Maurice L. Rothschild Foundation, “Resident Safety Risk Assessment” includes a review of 55 empirical research studies that show the connection between environmental design and safety in nursing homes, assisted living facilities continuing care retirement communities and memory-care facilities.
Environmental features such as room occupancy, lighting, access to nature, wander gardens, acoustics, and ambience influence outcomes that can help prevent resident falls, unsafe exiting, sleep disorders, aggressions/disruptive behaviors, medical errors and healthcare-associated infections.
“The importance of this report is that it creates a framework for evaluating key environmental design features that impact resident safety,” stated co-author Anjali Joseph, Ph.D., EDAC, CHD Vice President/Director of Research. “And equally important is the fact that it will provide guidance for the development of the Guidelines for Residential Care Facilities volume of the 2014 Guidelines for Design and Construction of Health Care Facilities.”
About The Center for Health Design
The Center for Health Design (CHD) is a nonprofit organization that engages and supports professionals and organizations in the healthcare, construction, and design industry to improve the quality of healthcare facilities and create new environments for healthy aging. CHD’s mission is to transform healthcare environments for a healthier, safer world through design research, education, and advocacy. For more information, visit www.healthdesign.org.
Media Relations Contact:
Linda P. Franklin
(925) 521-9404 ext. 123
lfranklin [at] healthdesign [dot] org
Follow The Center for Health Design: Linkedin | YouTube | Twitter