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Clear guides to furnishing, layout and everyday life in senior living communities. Pick the problem you need to solve.
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18 practical guides
Dining room design
Dining Room Layout and Seating
A useful senior living dining room lets residents reach a table, sit comfortably, hear the people beside them, and eat without competing with service traffic.
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Seating & accessibility
Hallways That Are Easier to Walk
A senior living hallway should make it clear where a resident is going and where they can pause along the way.
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Memory care design
Helping Residents Find Their Way
Dementia-friendly wayfinding helps a resident recognize where they are and what to do next.
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Family visiting spaces
What Families Notice on a Tour
Families use a tour to imagine everyday life in the community.
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Lighting, colors & acoustics
Reducing Noise in Shared Spaces
To reduce noise in senior living common areas, first identify what is making conversation difficult: competing sound, noisy equipment, hard-room echo, or the seating arrangement.
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Seating & accessibility
Checking Common Areas for Accessibility
A common-area accessibility review should show what a resident can reach, see, approach, and use from their normal position.
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Renovation planning
What to Check Before Renovating
Before renovating, separate problems with the building's structure and systems from worn finishes and an unsuitable layout.
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Renovation planning
Managing Renovation Dust and Noise
An occupied renovation needs a plan for the work area and for the people who continue living beside it.
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Family visiting spaces
Hosting Overnight Family Visits
An overnight visit needs more than somewhere to sleep.
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Staff spaces & storage
Planning Laundry, Delivery and Waste Routes
Laundry, deliveries, waste collection, and meals all need routes through a senior living building.
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Staff spaces & storage
Planning a Better Nurse Station
Choose a nurse-station layout by the work it must support, not by how open or residential it looks.
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Outdoor spaces
Setting Up Outdoor Dining
Outdoor dining works when the table arrangement, weather protection, and meal service are planned together.
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Outdoor spaces
Making Patios and Balconies Usable
A patio or balcony is useful only if residents can reach it, find an appropriate place to sit, and return indoors comfortably.
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Memory care design
Lighting and Room Design for Sundowning
When planning a memory-care space for late afternoon, review the change from daylight to artificial light, competing activity, quiet seating, and staff availability together.
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Dining room design
Making Room for Assisted Dining
Residents who receive help at meals need a table arrangement that accommodates their usual seating, the person assisting them, and the equipment used in their care.
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Dining room design
Getting Dining Room Lighting Right
Good dining-room lighting lets residents see their meal, recognize the person across the table, and move through the room comfortably.
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Lighting, colors & acoustics
Choosing Colors Residents Can See
Choose interior colors by how well residents can distinguish useful objects from their surroundings, as well as by appearance.
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Seating & accessibility
Making Entrances Easier to Use
An easier entrance provides a clear journey from drop-off to a comfortable place inside.
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