Care & cure: reducing cognitive decline among elderly patients in healthcare settings by way of caring architectural principles
Date
2022-04-08
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
In hospitals, cognitive decline in patients 65 years and older is common which affects their entire wellbeing and recovery process. How can architecture uphold responsibility with the same gravity as the
Hippocratic Oath to “do no harm” for geriatric patients’ well-being to promote spaces for recovery while
diminishing prolonged acute care side effects, ensuring that cognitive decline is reduced among this
vulnerable population? The creation of an Integrative Geriatric Centre in Sudbury Ontario, Canada which
contains a geriatric assessment clinic, a geriatric recovery centre, and an integrated childcare facility will
provide betterment for seniors. These programmatic elements will use the ideologies of positive distraction
in intergenerational settings; biophilic design; and a framework for senior friendly hospital design. These
principles will help reduce cognitive decline as senior care continues its evolution into spaces filled with
therapeutic architecturally driven elements
Description
Keywords
Architecture, cognitive decline, geriatrics, intergenerational care, elderly care, biophilia, hospital, Sudbury, Ontario