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Insights & Solutions

    Interview
    February 2017 Interview

    Learn about: why the needs of older people are often overlooked, how universal design can support people as they age, how universal design also benefits people of varying abilities and generations, and the need for designers to think about functionality in new and existing spaces.

    Project Brief
    February 2017 Project Brief

    Learn about: How UMCPP accommodates the unique needs of senior citizens through a special ED unit, design features that were included to help older patients and their families better navigate the space, and the hospital’s acute care for the elderly (ACE) unit, and why it is configured to transition senior ED patients for an inpatient stay in the most supportive environment.

    Tool
    November 2016 Tool

    This tool is meant to support a universal design approach to environments for aging populations. 

    Design Strategies
    November 2016 Design Strategies

    Aging often involves a multitude of changing needs and priorities. However, there are human needs and desires that remain constant throughout the life course. Design strategies for aging must not only address basic physiological and safety needs, but attend to higher-level human needs as well. The universal design approach is being adopted by many forward-thinking designers who aim to support equitable, flexible, and accessible environments for all users.

     

    Project Brief
    November 2016 Project Brief

    Learn about: the homelike model for resident care Riverside Assisted Living Facility Administration wanted to apply, the full-scale mock-ups of the proposed living spaces that launched the project, and the ‘neighborhood’ concept that enables greater resident independence as well as safety.

    EBD Journal Club
    October 2014 EBD Journal Club

    Harris, D. D., Detke, L. A. (2013). The role of flooring as a design element affecting patient and healthcare worker safety. Health Environments Research & Design Journal, 6(3), 95-119.

    Tool
    December 2015 Tool

    This Ambulatory Care Center Design Tool (ACCDT), developed by Dr. Anjali Joseph and Dr. Zahra Zamani from Clemson University in collaboration with The Center for Health Design (CHD), builds upon a series of papers, best practice case studies and in-depth literature reviews conducted by CHD as well as CHD's Clinic Design Post-Occupancy Evaluation Toolkit – Tool 2 Audit of Physical Environment with additions from a thesis by Crews (2013). The tool supports design teams in making key design decisions about ambulatory care centers linked to evidence based design goals and principles.

    Tool
    June 2018 Tool

    Healthcare is provided in a variety of settings, from a person’s home to outpatient clinics, to the hospital. While the settings and specific design elements may differ across the continuum of care, the objectives of safety, efficiency, satisfaction, and high quality care remain constant. This set of interactive diagrams provides a link between the evidence base, design strategies, and desired outcomes – in a visually intuitive and actionable format.

    Tool
    November 2015 Tool

    This Clinic Design Post Occupancy Evaluation Toolkit is self-administered and provides a way to collect a variety of data on the physical enviornment, subjective perception of users, and objective healthcare outcomes.

    Executive Summary
    March 2015 Executive Summary

    Learn about: reasons why traditional acute care fails to meet the needs of older adults, acute care risks that contribute to poor outcomes among older adults, and design strategies for supportive acute care environments.