LRS designers Janice Sanada, Amy Smith, and Lisa Sneddon, attended Environments for Aging’s (EFA) 2023 Conference + Expo in Charlotte, North Carolina, at the Charlotte Convention Center between April 15-18 and returned recharged and inspired! Janice, Amy, and Lisa’s attendance also reinforced our firm’s commitment to staying at the forefront of the senior housing industry. Here are some of the highlights they felt were most impactful from the conference:

Innovative Products for Safety and Design

There were over 20 must-see products at this year’s Expo, and a few stood out to the LRS team.

Falls remain a central concern in senior living communities—they are inevitable and can often cause severe injury. Viconic, a company that designs impact flooring to reduce injuries from falls, showcased patented flooring that supports mobility, healthy aging, and independence while reducing fall injury risk, providing a greater sense of safety and ease. Their product has seen successful usage in military combat vehicles, passenger vehicles, and senior living facilities.

Additionally, hospitality furniture companies are seeing greater interest in more stylish and contemporary designed furnishings in senior living communities. This interest, and future production, will provide more options for designers to choose from when contemplating how to design and furnish a development. This expansion of choices allows for a greater variety of design aesthetics that will better differentiate senior living communities from each other.

Multi-Generational Integration & Design Concepts

For decades, senior housing communities were built in their own self-contained bubbles. Now, design studios are looking to shift this philosophy, integrate various multi-generational living accommodations, and choose locations that allow easy access to other amenities. For example, a development may include retail on the first level, senior living on the following two to three levels, and single families above. Integrating these aspects fosters a greater sense of community and a healthier social environment for all residents. It also improves recruitment and retention of senior housing staff by providing easy access to restaurants, shops, and childcare facilities.

An example of this growing trend comes from our recently completed project, The Springs at Happy Valley. Happy Valley is a senior living community placed as the anchor in a retail center. The development is an urbanized element in a suburb connected to other communities fostering a healthier pedestrian environment, three levels of care (independent, memory care, and assisted living), and a welcoming atmosphere.

AI & Technology Impacting the Future of Design

As technology helps people live happier and healthier lives, the opportunities posed by integrating new technologies require innovative minds and sound project management. AI will likely have a more significant hand in evolving the design and development of senior living, with human designers providing the groundwork for innovative design and the human touch. Flooring with sensors is an example of technology that continues to find a foothold in senior living. These floors provide activity data about resident movement and activity, frequency of bathroom trips, and even alerts for slips and falls. This kind of technology has clear advantages for maintaining the health of senior living residents. However, even as efficiency has increased, no piece of technology or AI can replace the impact of face-to-face contact with a person. Building a community and culture is something only humans can do, and this is crucial for any senior living community to thrive.

Dynamic Speakers and Programming

The conference also highlighted some dynamic speakers, including Vijay Gupta, founder and artistic director at Street Symphony, who took the stage and highlighted the impact music has on spaces and emphasized his mantra, “Music is Medicine, Music is Sanity.” Other presentations included the EFA Magazine Awards for Design Showcase, Remodel/Renovation, and Design Champions; the Center for Health Design Changemaker Award, which was presented to Lorraine Hiatt, a Ph.D., environmental gerontologist; and a General Session Panel led by EFA’s Editor-in-Chief, Jennifer Kovacs Silvis, moderating industry leaders on pressing issues in senior living and the role design plays in successful operations going forward.

We had a blast at this year’s EFA Conference + Expo, which highlighted innovative work that will drive the future of the senior living industry. LRS is excited to incorporate these design elements and see how they evolve to serve the senior living sector more effectively. Hopefully, we will see you at next year’s conference!