Aging and Design
Right now my university is closed for Thanksgiving break, and I am spending my Thanksgiving break five minutes away from campus at my 96-year-old great-aunt's house with her and her 70-year-old son. Most elderly people are placed in a nursing home before they reach ninety-six, but with the presence of my uncle, my great-aunt is functioning well in her own home. Fortunately, all of her health problems are only physical; she has to use a walker to get around, and she has significant hearing loss, which unfortunately runs in the family. However, she doesn't have any sign of Dementia and Alzheimers; in fact, she often tells stories of what she did during the Civil Rights Movement and compares past actions of presidents to our current one. Since she doesn't have any significant mental issues, my great-aunt resides at her house because, as she says, her house feels like home.
There is a very big difference between a house and a home. A house is simply a large-scale standardized solution. A home is a reflection of its occupants; it allows homeowners to create their own personal identities and reminds them of the past.
We once put my great-aunt in a nursing home; her stubbornness and excellent persuasion are why we got her out of the nursing home. When we took her out, she kept saying the nursing home didn't feel like home; she said it felt like a prison. Now, as I sit in her living room and write this, I understand what she meant. My great-aunt's home is a reflection of her; every room has some sort of floral element and a shade of pink to express her girliness and love of flowers. Since she can't keep her garden anymore, she brought flowers inside with the use of floral patterns. Her house is her home; it's where she feels most comfortable and most like herself.
My great-aunt's home is still suitable for her needs without any technological element being added. There are only two televisions in her house; one for my great-aunt to watch CNN and MSNBC, and one for my uncle to watch sports. They both prefer talking face-to-face than someone constantly being on the phone and texting; the only communication in the house is a landline that is hardly ever used. Though they haven't changed with the evolution of technology, the design of each room of her house has evolved with my great-aunt's age and health conditions. With the exception of one, every chair has an armrest to assist my great-aunt and uncle when they have to get up, and every room is spaced out to create room for my great-aunt's walker.
Elderly people who still have to stay in nursing homes want to feel like they are at home instead of in a large housing facility, especially if they have Dementia or Alzheimers. Some ways this can be achieved is with the inclusion of artwork, window treatments, lots of light, etc. When designing for the elderly, whether it be residential or a healthcare facility, the feeling of home is important. It is possible for a designer to create incomparable interior spaces while achieving that "home, sweet, home" feeling for the elderly.
References:
Old 3Rd Rock From the Sun
Redesigning Domesticity: Creating Homes for the Elderly
Right now my university is closed for Thanksgiving break, and I am spending my Thanksgiving break five minutes away from campus at my 96-year-old great-aunt's house with her and her 70-year-old son. Most elderly people are placed in a nursing home before they reach ninety-six, but with the presence of my uncle, my great-aunt is functioning well in her own home. Fortunately, all of her health problems are only physical; she has to use a walker to get around, and she has significant hearing loss, which unfortunately runs in the family. However, she doesn't have any sign of Dementia and Alzheimers; in fact, she often tells stories of what she did during the Civil Rights Movement and compares past actions of presidents to our current one. Since she doesn't have any significant mental issues, my great-aunt resides at her house because, as she says, her house feels like home.
There is a very big difference between a house and a home. A house is simply a large-scale standardized solution. A home is a reflection of its occupants; it allows homeowners to create their own personal identities and reminds them of the past.
We once put my great-aunt in a nursing home; her stubbornness and excellent persuasion are why we got her out of the nursing home. When we took her out, she kept saying the nursing home didn't feel like home; she said it felt like a prison. Now, as I sit in her living room and write this, I understand what she meant. My great-aunt's home is a reflection of her; every room has some sort of floral element and a shade of pink to express her girliness and love of flowers. Since she can't keep her garden anymore, she brought flowers inside with the use of floral patterns. Her house is her home; it's where she feels most comfortable and most like herself.
Photos above were taken by me of my
great-aunt's living room
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| Source How my great-aunt and uncle would look trying to use technology. |
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| Sketch by me of abstract art in my great-aunt's house |
Elderly people who still have to stay in nursing homes want to feel like they are at home instead of in a large housing facility, especially if they have Dementia or Alzheimers. Some ways this can be achieved is with the inclusion of artwork, window treatments, lots of light, etc. When designing for the elderly, whether it be residential or a healthcare facility, the feeling of home is important. It is possible for a designer to create incomparable interior spaces while achieving that "home, sweet, home" feeling for the elderly.
References:
Old 3Rd Rock From the Sun
Redesigning Domesticity: Creating Homes for the Elderly
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