When it comes to designing a welcoming Senior Living building, it’s about more than just upscale furnishings and on-trend amenities. Today’s prospective residents are looking for experiences and amenities that allow them to continue leading active lives. Not only does experiential design affect residents, but it’s important for staff and guests as well. Here’s just one way communities can incorporate experiential design to create incredible experiences:
Rethink wellness spaces to prepare for baby boomers
It’s time to think outside the box for your wellness spaces. Today’s therapy spaces and wellness rooms are more than just gyms or spas – they are all-out experiences. Consider designing amenities that foster holistic wellness, which encompasses the mind, body and spirit. Here are a few ideas to help you get started:
- Plan for holistic wellness – Use your vision and goals for your community to inform the types of amenities you incorporate. An Independent Living community may want to add a Tai Chi studio while a Memory Care community may include podiatry services. At a foundational level, ensuring proper natural light and air quality is especially important in wellness spaces.
- Design for active lifestyles – Infuse in-demand amenities that provide a holistic wellness experience. Amenities may include a game room, music studio, well-appointed library, greenhouse, meditation room or tech center. Consider expanding your current programing with classes like Pilates or yoga, which can be held in a multipurpose space. Another great way to encourage wellness is by adding in-room wellness features, like a personal fitness space in a resident room instead of a desk.
- Create interactive dining areas – Try including resident-friendly, accessible serving kitchens where residents can prepare a communal meal while engaging all the senses. Many residents will find the motions from chopping, blending and baking calming. Offering more opportunities for outdoor dining helps residents experience the wellness benefits of nature.
- Boost wellness with innovative technology – Look to some of the latest technology innovations for Senior Living to help you meet and exceed the demands of incoming residents and their families. Consider using in-room health monitoring technology that simultaneously notifies selected family members and other caregivers of everything from vital signs to emergency situations. Some systems can even remind residents to take their medications and notify selected people if a dosage is missed.
From updating your programming to incorporating new equipment and technology, there are a variety of ways to incorporate experiential design in your community.
Download our whitepaper to read more about creating memorable experiences by revamping wellness spaces, cultivating your community identity, updating staff spaces and fostering community partnerships.
Connect with our design experts at Aptura to start incorporating experiential design into your community.
