For years, the senior living industry has taken front-of-house design cues from other industries, such as health care and hospitality. A new report from senior living architecture firm Perkins Eastman shows there’s much more operators can glean elsewhere in the community.
The recently released report outlines several ways owners and operators can borrow inspiration from other industries to better support senior living employees’ needs, health and wellbeing; and in the process decrease burnout and improve worker retention and recruitment.
The Covid-19 pandemic has brought not only a rethinking of senior living operations, but also a fierce staffing crunch. That has led to a new realization that employees’ needs are important, according to Perkins Eastman Associate Principal Hillary DeGroff, who co-authored the report.
“I think one of the many things that came out of the past few years is a recognition of how the workplace for staff can really improve their wellbeing,” DeGroff told Senior Housing News.
She noted that other practice areas, such as health care and higher education, have already begun to rethink design in light of the pandemic.
Examples include staff lounges and employee pantries where workers can grab a snack or mingle or hybrid workspaces that eschew the classic desks and offices of corporate America for more informal settings.
According to the report, senior living communities may already have the tools to create these kinds of spaces. For example, operators might encourage staffers to eat lunch in the bistro or use a meditation room for a quiet moment.
With Perkins Eastman’s help, the Frasier Retirement Community in Boulder, Colorado, incorporated a phone room and wellness room into the design of its staff lounge. The company also moved its administrative and executive offices to an unused space in a performing arts center on its campus.
The idea behind the move was to cater to a variety of needs, according to CEO Tim Johnson.
“In addition to having a dedicated space that is beautiful, it has to be functional,” he said in the report. “Having a sink, refrigerator, and space to spread out is critical.”
On the flip side, the community welcomed residents into administrative and executive spaces where they normally work to use for programming and activities. During events, the space’s lobby is turned into a pre-function space, with the meeting rooms connected via large bi-fold doors.
“[Frasier] really wanted to make sure that there was no start and stop between a resident space and a staff space,” DeGroff said.
That theme of breaking down barriers is one that carries over into other aspects operators can borrow from other industries. For example, while maintaining connections to the outdoors is important for residents, it is also important for staff.
Enso Village, a community from Kendal Corp. under construction in Sonoma County, California, incorporated interior spaces with natural materials that create a seamless transition from indoors to outdoors.
At the end of the day, the senior living industry is still in the midst of a tough labor environment in 2023 — not to mention that workers’ needs and wants are still rapidly evolving.
The post How Design Insights From Other Industries Translate to Senior Living appeared first on Senior Housing News.
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