Presentations
Event: American Health Care Association / National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) 2021 Convention and Expo, Washington, DC
Speakers: Diana Anderson MD M.Arch, Thomas Grey Dip.Arch.B.Arch.Sci.MArch., Desmond O’Neill MD
Date: October 11, 2021
Nursing Home Design and COVID-19: Balancing Infection Control, Quality of Life, and Resilience
Many nursing home design models can have a negative impact on older people, and these flaws have been compounded by COVID-19 and related infection-control failures. There is now an urgent need to examine these models and provide alternative and holistic models that balance infection control and quality of life at multiple spatial scales in existing and proposed settings. Moreover, there is an understanding that certain design models and approaches that improve quality of life will also benefit infection control, support greater resilience, and in turn improve overall pandemic preparedness.
3 Learning Outcomes:
Upon completion, participant will be able to:
1) explain the overall impact of the built environment on nursing home residents in terms of quality of life Â
2) understand the main built environment related infection control issues that have arisen during COVID
3) explain how certain design approaches and models can be use to balance infection control while improving quality of life