A new guide for designers and developers of retirement communities, created by the Property Council and ThomsonAdsett, will support best practice thinking, innovation and a true resident focus.
Best Practice Principles for Seniors Community Design is aimed at anyone who has an influential role in the design, re-design, construction or development of retirement villages and other seniors’ communities.
Ben Myers, the Property Council’s executive director for retirement living, says the new guide “not only considers the buildings that make up a village; it also captures the dynamics of a thriving community, especially those elements that promote social connectedness and better wellbeing”.
Myers says the principles within the guide can be “brought to life in a high-rise apartment tower or a conventional broad acre village, by large companies, not-for-profit organisations or start-up ventures”.
The guide’s development has been led by architecture firm ThomsonAdsett, the world’s second largest firm specialising in seniors living, as well as a group of industry representatives.
Tieran Kimber, ThomsonAdsett’s group director for seniors living, says the best practice model of seniors living care is evolving rapidly as resident expectation evolve in tandem.
Technology is supporting active ageing by enhancing both the physical infrastructure and the delivery of care. Residents can tap into services and operators can monitor health remotely.
Kimber says Australia should look to Scandinavian countries, as well as Japan and Canada, which are already “pushing the assisted technology boundaries”. China, too, “will take a giant leap forward very soon” with technology that helps retirement living “to have a longer lifespan”.
ThomsonAdsett is currently designing its first age-friendly city. “We’ve been commissioned to design from first principles to ensure everyone – regardless of their age – has access to their city,” Kimber explains. Among the design considerations are the location of housing to essential services and shopping, accessible public transport, signage, wayfinding and assisted technology.
Judy Martin, the international program manager for ThomsonAdsett’s SAGE Tours, has visited more than 300 elder care facilities since she started hosting study tours in 2006.
Martin says the best retirement living developments internationally take a “whole person view”, caring for residents’ health and socialisation in a quality environment. She points to the Netherlands and Nordic countries for their advanced models of care.
“Around the world, people want retirement lifestyle options with the choice to move to integrated communities where assisted-living apartments support graduated transition to care and services brought to them in that apartment – their home,” she explains.
Martin says the Dutch and Scandinavian approach to “active ageing” also plays a role in the way retirement living is rolled out. “Everyone is focused on longevity and sustainable, healthy ageing in these countries, so even when we visit retirement living and care places, we never see people sitting in their rooms. They are all out at exercise classes, walking or engaged in activity. And it’s not diversional activity – it’s all about lifestyle choice.”
She says the new guidelines embrace this “best practice thinking” to encourage real innovation and a true resident focus.
“If we want to keep people in our retirement living developments for life, then we need to work in partnership to deliver places that offer both lifestyle and care,” Martin concludes.
Best Practice Principles for Seniors Community Design is now available to download from www.retirementliving.org.au/research and www.thomsonadsett.com.
Tieran Kimber will be speaking at the National Retirement Living Summit in Canberra next week. A limited number of tickets are still available.