This document summarizes a presentation on hot topics in interior design related to healthcare and aging. It discusses trends like aging in place and challenges associated with populations living longer. It also examines differences in aging populations globally and how culture and location influence design solutions. The role of interior design is described in supporting aging needs through spaces that promote health, safety and independence at home or in care facilities. Collaboration and sharing of global research and innovations is presented as important to developing design solutions for an aging world.

1. healthcare
Hot topics in interior design
Presented by Natalie Cooper, BID, ACEID, ARIDO Educator, IDC, IDEC, EDRA
Professor, Interior Design Program
School of Design | Fanshawe College
DSN 4081 - Senior Seminar

2. BIO
education
experience
natalie m cooper
volunteer
area of specialty

3. INTRODUCTION
•NEWS
•POLITICS
•WORLD ECONOMY
•WORLD HEALTH ISSUES
WHERE DOES INTERIOR
DESIGN FIT INTO ALL OF
THIS?
•UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF INTERIOR DESIGN
•PUBLIC AWARENESS – WHO WE ARE, WHAT WE DO
UNDERSTANDING PEOPLE, SPATIAL
INTERACTIONS, HEALTH, SAFETY, WELLBEING
•HEALTHCARE – NOW / FUTURE
•AGING: FACTS AND REALITIES
•AGING IN PLACE, CARE FACILITIES, HOSPITALS

4. INTRODUCTION
AGING IN PLACE (AIP)
HOME DESIGN &AGING
CANADIAN PERSPECTIVES
AND GLOBAL TRENDS
COLLABORATIVE DESIGN IN
AN AGING WORLD

5. aging in place
Reading from Cambridge Handbook of
Age and Ageing, Malcolm Lewis
Johnson
Background / overview of aging in
place as well as traditional and
current care options from a global
perspective
•Challenges
•Variations
•Historical evolution
•Gendered patterns
CHALLENGES:
• Rapid growth of older populations in most nations
•People are living longer
•Baby Boomers are less willing to leave their familial homes
• Services (in general) available to create healthy, safe,
quality of life experiences
•Responsibility of family members
•Maintaining independence

6. aging in place
VARIATIONS
•Social, political, economic
implications that vary by country
(province / state)
•Geography – location,
neighborhood programs and
proximity / accessibility to care
outside of the home
•Health of the individual – careful
consideration given to needs
assessment
•Economics – financial assistance,
government or state subsidized
programs
•The role architects and designers
can play – integration of local
codes, regulations, social norms,
family structures

7. aging in place
HISTORIC AL
EVOLUTION
•Cultural norms, traditions,
religious practice – examples -
China, and India
•Responsibility of the family to
support and foster the aging
process
•Evolution of home services
GENDERED PATTERNS
•Role of the female in the home
•Females (statistically) living longer
•Females account for the highest
population of dementia and
Alzheimer's disease

8. home design & aging
•Interplay between aging and home design
•Differences between the seven most rapidly
aging nations in the world
(Brazil, China, India, Israel, Japan, Sweden
and the United States) – sharing and learning
from each other while preserving cultural
integrity
•The role of technology
•The importance of support and human
interaction (and the variety of senior housing
options)
•What constitutes ‘good’ options for
geriatric-appropriate housing – design driven
care options and solutions

9. home design & aging
Consider typical zones in a
residential dwelling
Entry Laundry
Kitchen Living room
Washroom Bedroom
How can design impact each of these spaces?
How can design preserve culture and tradition?
How can design best utilize technology in
residential spaces?

10. canadian perspectives
& global trends
STATISTICS AND FACTS
•We live in an aging world
•According to the United Nations in 1950 older
people (over 65 years of age) made up 8% of
the world’s population by
2050 that number is
estimated to rise to 21%
That means an estimated two billion people
• Is Canada prepared for this?
•Will the elderly population in this country be
well cared for?
•The aging population is migrating toward urban
centers
•There is a strong desire for independence
•More women working professionals
•Retirement age – people are working later in
life

11. canadian perspectives
& global trends
STATISTICS AND FACTS
Care facilities in Canada are (retirement living,
assisted living, adult care facilities, etc.):
•Costly
•Not always available (more bodies than beds)
•Designed to meet the individual and specific needs
of the patient?
•Growing education and research into aging
•As Canadians age – many wish to AGE IN PLACE
There are obvious pros and cons to this
growing trend – interior design can
be a catalyst for safe and
healthy environments
Healthcare design
is a growing field

12. collaborative design in
an aging world
•Products, ideas and information is
being created and shared on a global
level
•Architects and designers have greater
access to developing trends
•Australia and Scotland are leading the
way in research and design
innovations for the aging population
•Technology will continue to be a
factor in innovative modern aging
environments
•Seniors across the world are getting
involved and sharing information
through email, websites and blogs –
driven by a ‘quest for community’
(peer produced groups are producing
suggestions and new ideas for
standards and blueprints for optimal
aging solutions)
•A new hybrid – Local / Global
solutions for aging

13. ADDITIONAL
RESOURCES
journals:
websites:
Health & Place
Movement in designed environments Journal of Aging and Social Policy
www.edra.org/content/movement-designed- Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology
environments Research On Aging
Environment – gerontology
www.edra.org/environment-gerontology
magazines:
Age in Place
www.ageinplace.org Long Term Living www.ltlmagazine.com
Environments for Aging
Healthcare Design
books:
Home Design in an Aging World, Rosenfeld &
Chapman
Environmental Psychology for Design, Kopec
Ageing and Place: Perspectives, Policy, Practice,
Gavin & Philips

14. REFERENCES
Johnson, Malcolm Lewis. Cambridge Handbook of Age
and Ageing. Cambridge University Press, 2005.
Lasky, Julie. The New York Times. November 23, 2011.
www.nytimes.com (accessed December 4, 2011).
Rosenfeld, Jeffrey P. and Wid Chapman. Home Design
in an Aging World. New York: Fairchild Books Inc.,
2010.
Wid Chapman Architects. Wid Chapman Architects.
www.widchapman.com (accessed December 3, 2011).
images
http://www.caregiverslibrary.org/caregiving-ministries/ministry-home/aging-research-article.aspx
http://alzheimersinfo.info/how-is-alzheimer%E2%80%99s-diagnosed-doctors-to-see-and-tests-to-have/
http://www.buffaloniagararealestatehomesales.com/category/real-estate-basics/home-improvement/
http://observatorio-das-desigualdades.cies.iscte.pt/index.jsp?page=news&id=196
http://www.sgh.com.sg/about-us/newsroom/News-Articles-
Reports/Pages/1in3elderlyS%E2%80%99poreansnoteatingright.aspx
http://www.sgh.com.sg/about-us/newsroom/News-Articles-
Reports/Pages/1in3elderlyS%E2%80%99poreansnoteatingright.aspx
http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/health/elderly_and_needy_told_they_will_have_to_use_their_savings_as_c
ost_of_receiving_care_soars_after_subsidies_scrapped_1_3685935
http://www.physorg.com/news199361146.html