An interesting look at how senior housing & facilities may have to change going forward.

For instance, visitation rooms with direct access to the outside could allow family members to visit loved ones without walking through the community, he said. Hotel rooms could even be added to allow staff members to live on-site without going home and possibly spreading a pathogen. The decentralized “neighborhood” concept of assisted living buildings, already a nascent trend before the epidemic, could also gain traction.

Seager added that these types of big-picture adaptations, which involve changing the floor plan, have major financial implications and therefore may be a tough sell for developers. On the other hand, smaller-scale tweaks to building systems and finishes are definitely here to stay. These include higher-quality air filtration, UV lighting and finishes like anti-microbial surfaces and acrylic fabric on the furnishings. Features that limit manual contact, such as touchless light switches and faucets, are easy to implement and can rein in the spread of germs.

The larger changes won’t happen quickly, but senior facilities have to make more approachable changes sooner rather than later.

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