Lessons learned from creating a home-like environment in a special care unit
Cérèse, Fany
Lessons learned from creating a home-like environment in a special care unit - 2023.
20
This article presents a project to create a home-like environment in a special care unit, from the development stage through to the results of a post-occupancy evaluation. An initial ethnographic immersion and consultation phase highlighted various problems and issues that provided the basis for the architectural project. Once the renovation was complete and the new spaces had been in use for a period of time, we set out to assess the effects of this spatial transformation through a subsequent immersion and a survey of users (residents, families, and caregivers). The observational data revealed good use of the living spaces and participation of residents in daily activities, as well as a reduction in behavioral disturbances. Caregivers reported great satisfaction with their new working environment, greater involvement, and a change in their representations on residents. Families expressed great enthusiasm and satisfaction, notably due to reduced feelings of guilt about having placed their loved one in the institution. These improvements all appeared to be linked to the fact that this new environment was described as “beautiful,” and that the quality of “home-like” is a source of well-being and calm. However, the creation of a home-like environment implies the acceptance of risk-taking, which is not always embraced by caregivers and can be a source of fear, leading them to prohibit residents from doing certain things.
Lessons learned from creating a home-like environment in a special care unit - 2023.
20
This article presents a project to create a home-like environment in a special care unit, from the development stage through to the results of a post-occupancy evaluation. An initial ethnographic immersion and consultation phase highlighted various problems and issues that provided the basis for the architectural project. Once the renovation was complete and the new spaces had been in use for a period of time, we set out to assess the effects of this spatial transformation through a subsequent immersion and a survey of users (residents, families, and caregivers). The observational data revealed good use of the living spaces and participation of residents in daily activities, as well as a reduction in behavioral disturbances. Caregivers reported great satisfaction with their new working environment, greater involvement, and a change in their representations on residents. Families expressed great enthusiasm and satisfaction, notably due to reduced feelings of guilt about having placed their loved one in the institution. These improvements all appeared to be linked to the fact that this new environment was described as “beautiful,” and that the quality of “home-like” is a source of well-being and calm. However, the creation of a home-like environment implies the acceptance of risk-taking, which is not always embraced by caregivers and can be a source of fear, leading them to prohibit residents from doing certain things.
Réseaux sociaux