Everyone deserves to experience well-being, regardless of functional or cognitive abilities.
It's time to transform the dominant medical/institutional approach to long-term care. The well-being of all care partners – individual residents, staff, families, volunteers, the care organization, and the community – is at stake.
Rudy P. Friesen, retired architect, consultant
Life for many people in LTC is abnormal, unfamiliar, inhumane, undignified, segregated, and lonely. For those with dementia, it is very confusing and disorienting – with rigid schedules, an ever-changing parade of staff, long corridors controlled by nurses stations, large impersonal common areas, and hospital-like food. Most older Canadians will do everything they can to avoid moving into a LTC home.
We need to design LTC in a way that supports normal living, humane care, and community connection. It’s the right thing to do.
Normal living involves creating environments that have the scale, feel, and familiarity of home – whether in a single household or multi-household facilities.
Humane care calls for care teams that are empowered, multi-skilled, self-managed, sociable, devoted to a specific household, and tuned into each resident’s needs and choices.
Community connection entails providing access to diverse people and community experiences within, around, and beyond the facility.
There is compelling evidence that such transformation supports well-being. Residents experience a better quality of life. Their families are happier. Staff experience greater job satisfaction and less stress. Organizations are better able to control virus spread.
While there are practical examples in North America, transformation has only begun, and mostly in piecemeal fashion. Since all three elements are essential, a braided approach is vital.
Interested? Learn more.
Rudy P. Friesen is a retired architect who researches best practices, teaches courses, makes presentations, and consults with leaders, organizations, and communities that are keen to change long-term care.
Rudy P. Friesen, retired architect, consultant
Life for many people in LTC is abnormal, unfamiliar, inhumane, undignified, segregated, and lonely. For those with dementia, it is very confusing and disorienting – with rigid schedules, an ever-changing parade of staff, long corridors controlled by nurses stations, large impersonal common areas, and hospital-like food. Most older Canadians will do everything they can to avoid moving into a LTC home.
We need to design LTC in a way that supports normal living, humane care, and community connection. It’s the right thing to do.
Normal living involves creating environments that have the scale, feel, and familiarity of home – whether in a single household or multi-household facilities.
Humane care calls for care teams that are empowered, multi-skilled, self-managed, sociable, devoted to a specific household, and tuned into each resident’s needs and choices.
Community connection entails providing access to diverse people and community experiences within, around, and beyond the facility.
There is compelling evidence that such transformation supports well-being. Residents experience a better quality of life. Their families are happier. Staff experience greater job satisfaction and less stress. Organizations are better able to control virus spread.
While there are practical examples in North America, transformation has only begun, and mostly in piecemeal fashion. Since all three elements are essential, a braided approach is vital.
Interested? Learn more.
Rudy P. Friesen is a retired architect who researches best practices, teaches courses, makes presentations, and consults with leaders, organizations, and communities that are keen to change long-term care.
