While fewer people are getting seriously ill with COVID, seniors are still concerned about their safety. These worries aren’t likely to go away soon, and many health care leaders predict that activities such as masking in various situations are here to stay. To attract residents today, tomorrow, and 10 years from now, senior living communities should prioritize safety in innovative ways.

While seniors are most concerned by the economy, according to a recent Harris poll, their second greatest focus is on the coronavirus. The good news is that while seniors endured isolation during the pandemic (43% said they would go days without talking to another person), they also felt more appreciative, compassionate, and thankful than their younger counterparts. They also felt less angry, fearful, lonely, and overwhelmed.

While seniors are relatively optimistic about the future related to the COVID virus, they also acknowledge that another serious variant is likely sooner rather than later. While the Harris poll suggests they feel prepared mentally (79%) to deal with future variants, they are the least likely generation to continue following COVID guidelines like social distancing and masking.

Nonetheless, safety is a priority; and there are several design elements to keep communities – and residents – safe while maintaining beautiful, comfortable, convenient, fun, and functional properties and buildings:

Ensuring safe, controlled air circulation in building is key. At the same time, residents shouldn’t feel claustrophobic. Indoor spaces that open onto patios, courtyards, balconies, and decks that enable access to fresh air and the outdoors will be in great demand moving forward. Consider elements such as openable windows in resident rooms and many common areas; reliable, efficient exhaust systems to remove pollutants and moisture; high-efficiency air filters to remove indoor and outdoor contaminants; HVAC systems designed for pre-tempering, filtering, and dehumidifying fresh air; and ultraviolet light to reduce virus transmission.
Moisture management is essential for keeping residents healthy and preventing the spread of mold, bacteria, and other toxins. This starts with controlling outside air infiltration into the building, through envelope design and air pressure balancing. Elsewhere, rain gardens conserve non-potable water in a visually appealing way and serve as a reminder of our connection to natural cycles. Promote hydration via multiple bistros, bars, dining, and other amenities throughout the building. Dehydration leads to many problems for seniors including increased falls and delirium. At Pi, we have recently begun to specify bottle fillers to encourage hydration.
Spaces for virtual communication, interactions, and entertainment will need to be cutting-edge. Residents will want “Zoom rooms” that are comfortable and clean and feature state-of-the-art audio and video technology. (Click here for more details.)

Outdoor spaces need to have all the amenities of the indoors. As people got more used to spending time outside during the pandemic, they got to love it more. Now, residents expect things like grill spaces and fire pits around a pool area. Pi recently designed a community in Colorado where there is seating against the building in front of a firepit with the mountains the background. There also is talk about including amphitheaters, as well as rooftop bars, in communities. These kinds of beautiful, innovative, and practical amenities make a community stand out and attract residents.

Durability has taken on a new dynamic. It doesn’t just mean furniture and surfaces that won’t break, crack, split, or wear out. It means that furniture needs to retain its beauty, utility, and comfort over time. We hear a lot of stories about the extra cleaning and cleaners damaging furniture. Most hospitals have moved away from using wood chair frames because they’re not holding up due to consistent cleaning. (Read more here.)
Purpose has taken on new meaning. Residents don’t’ just want golf and game rooms. They want gardens and orchards where they can grow their own fruit, vegetables and herbs. They want offer space and bandwidth so they can work, volunteer, and mentor. They want fully equipped studios where they can create and build.

There are so many cost-effective, innovative ways to take advantage of these opportunities. We look forward to helping senior housing operators and their residents move into this exciting new world. Let’s talk.

Contact us here or call us at 512-231-1910.

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