Insights & Solutions

Cheryl’s guests today on the podcast are two very special souls; Bryan Langlands, FAIA, FACHA, EDAC, LEED GA Principal NBBJ Architecture and Edwin Beltran NCIDQ, IIDA, ASSOC. AIA, Principal, Lead Interior Designer, NBBJ Architecture.

On today’s episode, Cheryl interviews Karen S. Freeman, AIA, ACHA, NCIDQ, EDAC, LEED AP BD+C Practice Leader, Healthcare, at HOK – a global design, architecture, engineering and planning firm.

This webinar will discuss a variety of decision factors (feasibility, practicality, safety considerations, space requirements, and engineering considerations) for various automation alternatives within different operating healthcare environments, and explore the overall evaluation process including information gathering, user input, and cultural and operational factors. Case studies will present empirical data driving the decision and design process.

Anderson, D., Kota, S., Yeh, L., Budson, A. (2022). Health Environments Research & Design Journal. DOI: 10.1177/19375867221125930

Strömberg, M., Liman, L., Bang, P., & Igelström, K. (2022). Experiences of sensory overload and communication barriers by autistic adults in health care settings

In order to overcome autistic adults' elevated risk for health problems that can be further exacerbated by stressful and inefficient health care experiences, there is a need to understand and overcome specific challenges regarding sensory and communicative barriers. The goal of this study was to identify problematic patterns of sensory and communication experiences for autistic adults. Environmental barriers to communication related to sensory unpredictability and the inability to exercise control over the immediate environment. Environmental overstimulation related to the intensity of a variety of stimuli, including background sounds, olfactory and tactile stimuli, bright, flickering and non-diffused lights, clutter, unpleasant colors, temperature and ventilation.

Lorusso, L., Bosch, S., Park, N.-K., Shorr, R., Conroy, M., Ahrentzen, S., & Freytes, M. (2022). Investigating the feasibility of multisensory environments to improve the assisted bathing experience for veterans with dementia: A clinical trial

While there is general support for using multisensory environments (MSE) as a therapeutic tool for improving patient outcomes, the feasibility of using MSE during bathing has not been studied. This study was undertaken in a bathing room that is representative of most found in long-term care settings within the Veterans Health Administration to understand the behavioral effects of MSE stimulus during bathing for Veterans with dementia. In general, the increase in positive behaviors and decrease in negative behaviors exhibited within this study supports a functional relationship between improved bathing responses and multisensory interventions.