 |
Audio |
|
|
Audio |
New Kind Of Nursing Home
Fewer of today's nursing homes look like a typical health care institution. In fact, architects now strive to make today's homes more like home since some residents may need to live there for a long time.
Increasingly, architects say that today's nursing homes provide far more privacy to residents, mainly through creative room design. Many resident rooms and hallways are now carpeted, because certain kinds of carpets can be cleaned every day.
Also, by using natural fiber and artificial light in combination, many spaces throughout the homes are friendly and warm. Many architects use outdoor courtyards and indoor plants to enhance livability and the residential nature of the modern nursing home.
Another major design change is in nurse's stations. Formerly, most architects put them at the center. Now, the typical nurse station is less centralized and more like a reception area where residents and staff can easily interact.
"These kinds of changes have made nursing homes friendlier and more home like," said Len Fishman, president and chief executive officer of the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging.
For more information on how to choose a good nursing home, contact the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging, 901 E Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20004, call 800-675-9253 or visit the web site at www.aahsa.org.