Humanistic Design of Assisted Living

the long version

"Assisted living, a relatively new industry, provides an alternative to traditional long-term care. Assisted living residences serve the increasing numbers of elders who need help with daily activities but wish to maintain independence. Although the facilities are promoted as resident centered and non-institutional, research indicates that many older adults and their family members do not find the buildings to be particularly friendly, warm, or supportive. In Humanistic Design of Assisted Living, John P. Marsden has translated research-based information into innovative and practicable design strategies that directly address those unfavorable perceptions." "Marsden provides an overview of assisted living's evolution and then addresses the current information resources available to designers. drawing on consumer-based research, he discusses successful humanistic design and presents a conceptual framework with six themes: familiar housing cues, protective enclosure, caring cues, human scale, usability, and naturalness. He applies this framework to specific guidelines for building exteriors, interior entries, and common living rooms and dining rooms. His recommendations are supported by photographs that demonstrate effective design strategies as well as some less-successful examples." "This book presents essential design guidelines for housing owners, operators, administrators, policy makers, gerontologists, interior designers, and architects."--Jacket.