Seniors Housing Business is the magazine that helps you navigate the evolution of the seniors housing industry.
Issue link: https://seniorshousingbusiness.epubxp.com/i/484276
principal. "We really tout the product that we offer being more of a resort-quality experience. We're a substitute for living at home, but we're not home. We're aware of that." Functionally, this means creat- ing a light and airy environment with stylish design and lots of comfortable communal areas both indoors and out. "We try to create spaces that are attractive to people, that make them want to spend more time there and socialize there," says Ragsdale. One of the keys to this shift in the industry, says Maddalena, is that developers realize that it's not just prospective residents that they have to please. Their target customer also includes the middle-aged children of seniors. "We're designing for the 57-year-old daughter who's helping her parents with these decisions," says Maddalena. "All levels of care have to be appeal- ing to that population and the residents." Michael Zusman, CEO of Kwalu, a seniors housing specialty furniture company, says part of the key to making the adult children happy is to minimize the difference between the visual appearance of independent living, assisted living and memory care. "You can't lump specialty envi- ronments together, but you want to design them to fow together," says Zusman. "You want an inte- grated look. People don't want to see a difference in the furniture." Adult children want their parents to use the same style and quality of furniture, even as acu- ity potentially increases and the parent moves to assisted living, skilled nursing or memory care, explains Zusman. This need for consistency leads to a complicated balance. How can a design work for people who need the furniture to be used in such different ways? The kitchen area and Solana Vintage Park in Houston uses furniture, fooring, layout and lighting all designed specifcally for the needs of its assisted living residents. www.seniorshousingbusiness.com 45 February-March 2015 n Seniors Housing Business