Neighborhood and Community Parks for Older Adult Residents

January 15, 2021May 31, 2020 by Madeleine Niepceron

Neighborhood and Community Parks for Older Adult Residents

Shashi Varun

ARC621 | Spring 2020

Ageing which is the process of becoming older is an integral part of our lives. Ageing represents the accumulation of changes in a human being over time, encompassing physical, psychological, and social changes. Neighborhood and community parks provide important physiological and psychological benefits to older adults, improving their quality of life. In general, older adults consider parks as an interaction space, younger people consider them as fitness places and children consider them as outdoor play areas. Historically, outdoor spaces such as parks have been designed almost exclusively to serve the needs of young people, both in park layout and design and the various activities which it offers. Through design, architects can incorporate into the outdoor spaces, the elderly usage patterns by considering their on-site behaviors, moods, activities, and states of mind. The objective of this report was to study the various aspects of the existing neighborhood parks considering the elderly usage and suggest design changes that can improve the quality of outdoor space for older adults.

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Design implications in long-term care facilities for persons under 65 years of age

January 15, 2021May 31, 2020 by Madeleine Niepceron

Photograph of a bedroom in a nursing home with design recommendation

Design implications in long-term care facilities for persons under 65 years of age

Sarah Langille

ARC621 | Spring 2020

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The design of long-term care facilities reflects the needs of the elderly population that inhabit the institution, but a just-as-important population also calls these facilities home. Many other age groups inhabit these facilities that are overwhelmingly under-represented with their design. The nursing facility may be the home for persons under the typical age of a nursing home resident if circumstances have made it impossible for them to care for themselves and have no relatives to assist them. These people are typically admitted to government-run nursing homes and are mixed in along with the home’s traditional cohort.

This report focuses on how the design of typical nursing-home affect the quality of life for these individuals. It is important to understand that there is a large array of individuals that may find themselves in this situation. Individual conditions can range from autism to disabilities, cognitive impairment from accidents or disabilities related to mental health. Although all these conditions could require profoundly different design considerations, I would like to focus more generally on nursing home patients that are under the age of 65 years and how the effects of the nursing-home physical environment affects their quality of life.

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Aging behind bars – Older inmates in US correctional facilities

January 15, 2021May 31, 2020 by Madeleine Niepceron

Aging behind bars – Older inmates in US correctional facilities

Madeleine Niepceron

ARC621 | Spring 2020

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According to the BJS (Bureau of Justice Statistics), more than 131 000 inmates in US prisons are aged 50 or more, which represents more than 10% of the total prison population. These numbers are increasing rapidly, and the older prison population keeps growing. We know that life in prison can be hard for anyone, thus the purpose of this report is to study what additional challenges older inmates might have to face when aging in prisons.

This report explores the way US prisons are designed, and what issues people aging in such settings can face when it comes to accessibility, safety, and health promotion (looking at both mental and physical health). In particular, the report focuses on the shared spaces of prisons: exterior spaces or outdoor activity spaces, cafeterias, TV rooms, etc, with the objective to verify whether these spaces are prepared (or not) to accommodate aging people.

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Downtown civic buildings in Buffalo, NY: evaluating mobility impaired and or wheelchair users experiences with historic buildings

January 15, 2021May 31, 2020 by Madeleine Niepceron

Plan of a museum before and after renovation

Downtown civic buildings in Buffalo, NY: evaluating mobility impaired and or wheelchair users experiences with historic buildings

Andrew Abbey

ARC621 | Spring 2020

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This report explores the interactions between historic civic structures and how users enter and utilize the space. The project specifically looks at how users with mobility impairments and or wheelchair users are accommodated. Being that the Americans with Disabilities Act is relatively new, a majority of historic and older public buildings were never designed to accommodate someone with mobility impairments. Traditionally, these buildings have been defined by their grand staircases and even grander plinths. This is problematic for individuals who cannot traverse them and require additional accommodation to enter and experience the building.