Does the design of hospitals meet the needs of older people? An evaluation of three acute care settings

Abstract

Increasing emergency admissions for older people create an imperative for hospitals to \ndevelop appropriate facilities. This pilot research identifies design criteria that can improve the \nquality and outcomes of acute services for older patients. \nThree acute care settings in the UK were recruited: an NHS Foundation Trust hospital; an inpatient \nrehabilitation hospital and a nursing home providing intermediate care. A pilot design \nevaluation tool was developed. The building evaluation assessed the design quality of the \nbuilding and evaluated its performance in supporting the specific needs of older people. \nFindings showed that hospital designs do not meet the needs of older people. Key issues lie in \nthe basic design layout which impacts on domains important to older people including \nwayfinding, dignity, support for dementia and mobility. Small design changes can impact on the \nsuccess of the built environment in responding to the needs of older inpatients. However, \novercoming original poor layout and subsequent poor retrofitting can be extremely difficult.

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