Wellness
development of true relationships – but this involves commitment. This leads to perhaps the most important concept for wellness, namely responsibility and purpose in daily life.
Daily Life Purpose in daily life is perhaps the most surprising concept to be found in the WIDA, as it calls into question many of the standard practices within UK care homes. As adults, there are things we need to do each day to support ourselves and/or those we love. In many current models of care, as many things as possible are done for a resident. For example, there may be a list of activities on a notice board or in a lift, as well as set mealtimes. If this is the case, what is the daily purpose for each individual person? Just because someone may need support, it does not necessarily follow that they should have no responsibilities to attend to, and no pride in accomplishments other than, say, an artistic endeavour or aging another year. As the capabilities of people differ, so
must their opportunities for purpose. Using dining as an example, is someone capable of bringing a trolley of food to a sideboard and setting out food to be plated up? If so, is the sideboard low enough to accommodate the limited rotator cuff motion? If a person cannot assist physically with dining, might they be part of a team or rotating team of residents who meet weekly with the chef to discuss the menu for the upcoming week or month? In short, and in many aspects of daily life, adults of any age need to engage in the minutiae and agency of their own lives as much as possible, supporting goal setting, pride, achievement, and wellness. In other words, research supports the notion that we should be doing less and allowing residents to do more themselves, with support only when necessary. This is the ‘use it or lose it’ approach to senior care. Quality of life and longevity both have been shown to improve internationally using this model. There are implications here related to
health and safety. Certainly, all that can be done to keep people safe should be, but not at the expense of living a full and authentic life in later years. Life has inherent risks. Because people have aged does not automatically relegate them to sitting and confined, for fear of anything negative ever happening at all. Several Third Age Design Podcast guests have gone as far as saying they are ‘risk forward’. They tell families: “If you want nothing to ever happen to your loved one which could involve even
the slightest risk, please do not bring them here. If it is raining, they may get wet. If we are cutting things, they may get a cut.” Obviously, legal disclaimers are signed by residents and family members, but in essence no one is being ‘put’ into a home under these circumstances. Instead, they are living much as they did before, doing as much as they are physically capable of doing, but supported in any way which has become necessary. Residents are not handing over every aspect of their life to a care team. Life expectancy in facilities adopting this approach, especially in dementia villages, boast an average of two years longer life expectancy than standard UK care homes.
Activities The final section is Activities, and rather than listing or suggesting ‘things to do’ the WIDA focuses instead on opportunities to use features of the building itself as well as engagement by staff members other than an activities manager. Using a suspended art hanging system,
for example, enables an ‘artist of the month’ to display their work in corridors and give small group tours around the building to discuss their thoughts and methods. Not only does this provide ongoing visual and mental stimulation, but also additional exercise for those able to participate. Another cornerstone of wellness is
intergenerational interaction. In addition to visits from the local nursery school children, might a café on-site be designed to encourage external visitors? Not only is an additional revenue stream possible, but with controlled access to resident-only areas, the wider community, residents, family members, and staff all benefit from the buzz of interaction resulting from such engagement. The café notice board can list the community choir the home is starting, or any other intergenerational activity which appeals. The idea here is that the care home becomes a hub or asset of the local community rather than a segregation of older people who need assistance.
Summary These are just a few of the areas examined within the WIDA and the result of the in- depth research conducted for examination of wellness as it relates to environmental design. Elements such as airflow handling and other mechanical interventions and technologies are excluded as these are already covered by work by the International
Lori Pinkerton-Rolet
Lori has been Director of Park Grove Design since 1993 and was recipient of the 2012 BIID Award of Merit for outstanding achievement in the field of Interior Design. A Past President of the British Institute of Interior Design (BIID) and a member of the International Interior Design Association (IIDA), Lori served on the Projects Panel of Construction Industry Council (CIC), which advises the government on issues related to the built environment, and sat on the British Standards Committee for flammability performance for domestic furniture in hope of minimising toxic chemicals in the environment. She holds an Aging in Place qualification in the United States and assisted in drafting three Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) professional services contracts for interior design. Lori is a frequent speaker at interior design events in Europe and East Asia. As a consultant, she has advised furniture and flooring companies on product development, and was appointed by Akzo Nobel (Dulux) to conduct research for their care and dementia colour ranges.
Well Building Institute, and by the many care tech companies to emerge over the past decade. After completing and submitting the
audit, the user will automatically receive their scored report, accompanied by recommendations for environmental improvements directly linked to wellness, with links to research supporting these concepts from sources including the University of Stirling, the King’s Fund, the National Library of Medicine, the Journal of Biophilic Design, and the International WELL Building Institute. n
February 2026
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