Worldwide, the number of people over the age of 60 is rising faster than any other age group — from 962 million in 2017 to an expected 2.1 billion in 2050, and 3.1 billion in 2100.
As more new senior housing is delivered every year, more evidence piles up that the generation expected to move into it has other ideas.
The American Society of Interior Designers has some information about designing for people with hearing loss on their website. An article written by Samantha McAskill, ASID, lists various tips for interior designers like, using sound absorbing fabics, avoiding high ceilings, planning for quiet rooms / areas in the home, selecting quiet appliances, and using visual alerts for telephones and doorbells.
More and more elderly Americans are choosing to spend their later years in assisted living facilities, which have sprung up as an alternative to nursing homes. But is this loosely regulated, multi-billion dollar industry putting seniors at risk? In a major investigation with ProPublica, FRONTLINE examines the operations of the nation’s largest assisted living company, raising questions about the drive for profits and fatal lapses in care.
Some residents at the TigerPlace Aging-in-Place residences in Columbia, Missouri are taking part in a scientific experiment being conducted by researchers at the University of Missouri, who are using video game technology to monitor the residents’ health.
The living quarters of sixty-five residents have been outfitted with motion detection sensors over each doorway, high-tech sensors embedded in their mattress and a Microsoft Kinect box mounted on the ceiling to detect falls. The data collected by this equipment is analyzed to determine changes in the residents’ health and behavior patterns. For instance, if the motion detectors detect that a resident uses the bathroom an excessive number of times each night, then a nurse is called to evaluate the resident for a urinary tract problem. If restless sleep is observed, then the resident can be evaluated for anxiety or depression. If wandering off at night is observed, then the resident can be checked for early signs of alzheimer’s. The Kinect’s motion capture technology can also show researchers changes in a resident’s gait, which can help them predict and prevent trips and falls. The technology could one day be used to provide support to older adults who are aging in place.