The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically altered the lives of millions of people from across the globe. Between businesses getting shut down, social distancing regulations, and safety hyperawareness, it was inevitable that this viral outbreak would significantly impact senior living development. In fact, most senior living construction and developers were forced to halt their operations and rethink their future plans to enhance residents’ safety. Because of this, there have been several reshaping senior living ideologies and implemented concepts that have certainly restructured the way senior living will be orchestrated now, and well into the future.
Smaller Homes
Strong evidence suggests that smaller housing settings can significantly reduce the risk of viral spread. With each person getting their own smaller space instead of a larger area shared with others, it makes it much easier to maintain safety for everyone. Even if there is a viral case in a room, its chances of spreading will be much lower. This, along with better overall assisted living care due to the reduced resident numbers, makes this an attractive solution for reasons far beyond COVID-19.
Clear Connection Panels
One of the ways developers have effectively remediated the social distancing psychological impacts is with the implementation of clear connection panels. These panels are custom fit to doors and allow senior residents to talk to their loved ones via wireless phones while still being separated by the clear glass. This will enable them to have much more personable interactions with their family and friends and not feel trapped or isolated indoors. The best part is that this is not permanent; the panels can be moved around as needed, so the properties stay compliant to other essential regulations such as fire and health.
New Layout Reconfigurations
With social distancing still fully intact, it stands to reason that already existing senior living locations have redesigned their layouts to abide by that CDC regulation. From shuffling furniture around in common areas, separating frequently used equipment, to new staff protocols, it would not be unlikely to see this structure type well into the future until COVID-19 is no longer a risk factor.
More Technology Implementation
Many senior living developments already had updated technologies in place during their interface construction phases. But others may have had to learn the hard way about how vital it is to stay connected in a distant time period. Seniors, in a matter of days, needed devices and higher connection speeds. There was a rise in telehealth and virtual reality desires than ever before. Though this was organically being put into the scene, COVID-19 accelerate the process, making it likely to be seen in future communities post-pandemic.
Final Thoughts
Though society has been slowly reopening after COVID-19 struck in early March, there is still quite a bit of work to be done when it comes to redirection plans. But as you can see, there have been several advancing, senior living development concepts already set in practice that has very promising outlooks.
Overall, the new methods, both blueprinted and already executed, are each created in the best interest of the senior residents. With seniors and older adults being at high risk for COVID-19, altering their living structures to combat the spread provides them with the safest, revolutionized environment possible for them to live confidently.
