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Senior citizen housing implementing a continuum of care environment

University of British Columbia

In the last twenty five years the health of individuals worldwide has changed. Life expectancy has substantially increased and the proportion of older citizens is growing constantly. This growing population of elderly people will dominate the housing market in the coming years. An increased demand for housing and health care services for the elderly calls not only for much greater supply than we have ever experienced, but also for new approaches, one of which is based on the graduation of care. Provincial and local governments are looking for innovative options and design solutions which could meet the needs and expectations of a new wave of seniors at the end of this century. It is the intention of this thesis to identify and define what are the underlying principles in planning housing and services for the contemporary elderly. The Thesis has been developed as a research cycle based on a three-phase methodology of analysis-synthesis-evaluation. Analysis commences with comprehensive research into existing facilities and introduces the notion of multi-level care of the elderly. It investigates the real meaning of the quality environment within the elderly facility in terms of a continuum of his/her lifestyle. Synthesis defines the phenomenon of the continuum of care environment in the full scale facility program for the proposed Continuum of Care Complex (CCC) in West Point Grey in Vancouver, B.C. Evaluation investigates the feasibility of the program implementation on a test site. A basic premise of the thesis is that a multi-level care facility is a viable way of achieving an environment, which may fulfill a comprehensive array of needs of the elderly. It should include housing alternatives for the elderly, both in terms of tenure and supportive services, but above all should provide a specific ambiance equal to a home-like environment. The thesis has been structured as a hypothetical model of a programming system based on the principle of the continuum of care. This model includes four major functional components of the proposed complex: residential, long-term care, community services and outdoor activity spaces that blending together create a quality environment. This model has been developed in the real situation of the Point Grey Community on the principle of an active interaction. Subsequently this model has been tested on a selected site in terms of identification of opportunities and constraints which may affect successful program implementation. The thesis concludes that a hypothetical model of the Continuum of Care Complex can be successfully implemented on the selected test site of the Point Grey Community. "Continuum of Care" environment for the elderly developed in the model may satisfy a broad range of needs for the elderly: physical, physiological and sociopsychological.

Text

2010-09-02

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http://hdl.handle.net/2429/28136

Architecture

University of British Columbia

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