Pandemic-Induced Trends In Long-Term Care Centers

Assisted Living

The coronavirus epidemic has not only changed how people work and socialize but has also impacted living spaces for older folks. The epidemic has made planners and architects of LTC facilities, such as skilled nursing facilities and assisted living centers, reconsider their designs. It has especially been the case since people who reside in these locations and their family members started to expect safer and more flexible accommodation. Here, we will discuss some trends in older living design that are brought or accelerated by the epidemic.

Reimagined Older Living Locations

Coronavirus has shown that it is better to live small, from both a social and safety point of view. Eldercare location designs are heading toward small residential neighborhoods where a dozen suites are blended to limit not only the resident and staff count but also the airflow. This is to make eldercare environments seem more like residences and less institutional. Assisted living and independent living centers may pay attention to decentralized and smaller-scale common spaces.

This trend started many years ago at nursing homes as well as is transitioning into independent living locations and assisted residential locations. The transition allows for not only better virus infection control but also a greater sense of community.

Making Air Quality Better

Coronavirus disease is mainly an airborne condition, so family members have become savvier with questions on mechanical systems to control the processes of filtering and purifying the air too. Air pollution can also worsen chronic conditions such as lung disease and asthma among older grown-ups, making them vulnerable when they contract coronavirus.

A good thing is that there is more focus on air quality in senior living communities. Electrostatic filters that attract and destroy virus particles are usually getting added to existing mechanical systems as budgets do not enable a complete system overhaul.

More Indoor And Outdoor Areas

LTC facilities make outdoor spaces that enable social distancing and distanced activities. There are weather-mitigating facilities in these spaces, including heat lamps, for comfort across all seasons.

The facilities treat the areas more similarly to outdoor rooms as opposed to open-air spaces. For more sunlight indoors, balconies in apartments that offer assisted facilities for seniors are regarded as not as big a liability as before. Why? Because residents can also use those balconies frequently, even during lockdowns, for more time closer to outdoors. This will ultimately help them enjoy their stay in such communities.