Life enhancing approaches to the care of older people

The average care home environment has improved considerably over the past decade, with many new build facilities having a hotel-like ambience thanks to tasteful interior design, comfortable soft furnishings and the inclusion of amenities for guests and visitors, such as cafes, shops, hairdressers and even cinema rooms on site. However, for most people, the idea of moving from their own home into even the most luxuriously appointed and generously planned care home is very much an option of last resort. Indeed, many put off the decision – or have it put off for them by their family – long after it’s already become inevitable.

The reasons for this are complex. Firstly, it’s still perceived as an ‘end of life’ decision; moving into a care home means moving from the dwelling that has been the fabric of your life, with all the associated memories, into an environment that is likely to be the last place you live. Secondly, the care home may look and feel like a hotel, but a hotel never really feels like home and it represents a loss of autonomy and independence. While many in the prime of life might like the idea of endless leisure time and full hotel service, the reality, where everyday activities such as cooking and shopping are removed, is much less attractive. 

Leaving aside matters of attachment to the family home, the fundamental issue that current care home design practice doesn’t address is how to embed the normal routine of living within the wider context of its surroundings and community. Only when we start to put the needs of older people as individuals first, and address their physical and cognitive challenges as secondary issues, can we really design care homes as places to thrive in our advanced years, rather than accepting inevitable decline.