Senior Living Post Occupancy Evaluation White Paper Released
LIV Generations Ahwatukee in Phoenix has multiple social, entertainment, lifestyle, and health/wellness amenities; a model for residents to age in place
October 29, 2019 – J+J Flooring is pleased to announce the release of the 2019 senior living post occupancy evaluation (POE) white paper from the Society for the Advancement of Gerontological Environments (SAGE).
Titled, “LIV Generations Ahwatukee: A SAGE Post-Occupancy Evaluation to Explore What Works” the 42-page paper was funded with the generous support of J+J Flooring.
The 2019 SAGE POE was conducted by a multidisciplinary team of industry experts who spent a day onsite talking with staff, residents, family members, and the project designer.
“The rich variety of activity based spaces provides lots of options for a diversity of preferences,” said Migette Kaup, POE Research Coordinator, Environmental Gerontologist/ Interior Designer/ Educator, Kansas State University. “The feedback from residents and staff demonstrate how vital it is to make sure that organizational programming is considered when planning the number of spaces that will be included as well as where they will be located around a building.”
Some of the features the SAGE team found that work well are:
• Central location of bistro restaurant makes it a frequent location for resident activities
• Open kitchen in the main dining room creates a connection between staff and residents
• Outdoor spaces (sky deck, pool area, interior courtyard, and dog park) encourage residents to be outdoors and connect with nature
• Hallways have places to sit, artwork for positive distractions, and landmarks for orientation
• Cabinets in resident apartments have accessibility features, making it easier to age in place as mobility changes
Others they found didn’t work well are:
• Site issues and sun patterns create unwanted shade in pool area and glare in several activity rooms
• High volume spaces with hard surfaces in the lobby and main dining room create a reflection of sound between the two areas
• Layout and intended functions of the physical therapy and yoga areas are not well understood by some of the staff and residents, possibly limiting their use
“J+J’s support of the SAGE POE program has enabled a passionate and dedicated SAGE team to plan and execute its POEs with greater efficiency, a broader base of expertise, and more variety of site options” said Keith Gray, Director of Applied Research, J+J Flooring. “This is what we hoped would happen and are pleased to be part of this meaningful work.”
To access the paper, visit the SAGE website, www.sagefederation.org/SAGE-POE
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About SAGE
SAGE is a nonprofit membership organization whose mission is to promote collaboration among aging services providers, design professionals, regulators, residents, researchers, manufacturers, educators, students, and others interested in providing innovative and appropriate environments for older adults.
About J+J Flooring
For more than 60 years, J+J Flooring has intelligently crafted beautiful commercial flooring products for diverse applications. As a division of Engineered Floors, LLC, we are proud to be a part of the third largest carpet company in North America. With our range of products including broadloom and modular carpet, Kinetex textile composite flooring, and luxury vinyl tile – we engineer all of our flooring solutions with a steadfast commitment to design, quality, service, integrity, and sustainability. www.jjflooringgroup.com
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