TY - JOUR
T1 - Post-occupancy evaluation of a transformed nursing home
T2 - The first four Green House® settings
AU - Cutler, Lois J.
AU - Kane, Rosalie A.
PY - 2009/12/1
Y1 - 2009/12/1
N2 - To study how well the physical environments of four Green Houses® served the residents, staff, and visitors and to develop recommendations for similar small-house nursing home projects. Longitudinal post-occupancy evaluation of four houses using mixed-methods, including behavioral mapping, checklist ratings of individual bed-rooms and bathrooms, place-centered time scans, environmental tracers, and questionnaires and interviews. The small residential environments achieved the desired functional results for residents and staff. Some components of the environment proved problematic, especially bathroom designs, lighting and fixtures, and storage spaces. Certain areas of the buildings were under utilized, particularly a den. Space was used differently in the two houses dedicated to residents with dementia compared to the other two houses. In the latter, residents tended to use their own rooms for a variety of activities, including visits, and often kept their doors closed, whereas in the former the central hearth area was used more frequently. The physical design of the Green Houses was associated with desired behavior and outcomes in residents and staff. Post-occupancy evaluation methods were useful to elicit detailed information about environmental performance and suggest modifications for the next iteration of Green Houses.
AB - To study how well the physical environments of four Green Houses® served the residents, staff, and visitors and to develop recommendations for similar small-house nursing home projects. Longitudinal post-occupancy evaluation of four houses using mixed-methods, including behavioral mapping, checklist ratings of individual bed-rooms and bathrooms, place-centered time scans, environmental tracers, and questionnaires and interviews. The small residential environments achieved the desired functional results for residents and staff. Some components of the environment proved problematic, especially bathroom designs, lighting and fixtures, and storage spaces. Certain areas of the buildings were under utilized, particularly a den. Space was used differently in the two houses dedicated to residents with dementia compared to the other two houses. In the latter, residents tended to use their own rooms for a variety of activities, including visits, and often kept their doors closed, whereas in the former the central hearth area was used more frequently. The physical design of the Green Houses was associated with desired behavior and outcomes in residents and staff. Post-occupancy evaluation methods were useful to elicit detailed information about environmental performance and suggest modifications for the next iteration of Green Houses.
KW - Culture change
KW - Green house nursing home
KW - Living environments
KW - Privacy
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=77954268332&partnerID=8YFLogxK
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U2 - 10.1080/02763890903327010
DO - 10.1080/02763890903327010
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:77954268332
SN - 0276-3893
VL - 23
SP - 304
EP - 334
JO - Journal of Housing for the Elderly
JF - Journal of Housing for the Elderly
IS - 4
ER -