Healthcare Infrastructure for Aging Populations, Atlantic Canada

As Canada’s population of adults 65+ continues to climb so too does the demand for infrastructure, including Long Term Care. It’s a critical time to prepare for the volume and complexity of care needs expected in the years ahead.

This panel will explore the challenges and opportunities presented by the demographic shift from a cost, design and project delivery perspective.

• Determining the level of infrastructure and human resources needed to meet the demand of a rapidly aging population in Canada
• Navigating the tension between homelike and institutional in LTC design
• Examining how current building standards tilt LTC towards healthcare and what that means for design
• Identifying potential efficiencies that could be achieved
• Balancing standards with operator and resident expectations about how facilities should look and feel
• Assessing the real and rising costs of Long-Term Care facility construction and operations
• Developing project budgets that account for design, footprint and long-term financial sustainability

The Maritimes have larger proportion of seniors compared to other regions in Canada. In Nova Scotia, approximately 22-per cent of the population is aged 65+. In recognizing this, the province is carrying out a strategic plan to add 5,700 new or replacement LTC rooms by 2032. This session will provide a detailed progress report; lessons learned from projects to date and the next steps.

A growing body of empirical data and evidence-based design research demonstrates that architecture impacts care delivery as well as health outcomes for older adults in the long-term care setting. This talk explores built space as an important determinant of health and questions whether the built environment itself should be considered alongside other parameters of care, analogous to our medical interventions. With a current focus on design equity, ensuring overall accessibility to healthcare built space for older adults is explored. It is imperative that we consider a convergence of the healthcare and design disciplines in order to promote novel solutions to augment built environment resilience and subsequently support equitable, safe and efficient care delivery, and ultimately healthy aging and quality of life. This presentation will focus on:

• Describing how built space is an important determinant of health and classify design for health within the existing clinical 5M framework
• Identifying empirical data linking the built environment with health outcomes
• Considering ethical questions raised with long term care design, particularly in the setting of cognitive impairment

Urban density, sprawl, and footprint economization have increased vertical locational planning of long-term care spaces in Canada. As a result, persons living with dementia find their living space options limited to tall buildings. The winter months pose specific challenges for mobility, accessibility, and viewing. Furthermore, the distal “away from” and the desire for “closer to” or within natural surroundings may contribute to feelings of disembodiment, emotional detachment, and loneliness. Residents in long-term care homes need access to garden spaces (seeing, touching, experiencing) to counterbalance living within artificially supported environments.

This session will illustrate:

• Residents anthropomorphize (attribute human characteristics or behaviour) to natural elements such as gardens and flowers, which become surrogates for dealing with loss
• Beyond their aesthetic appeal, these natural elements play a role in accessing and triggering memories
• Despite their condition, residents can communicate their choices and preferences if provided the creative means to participate
• Resident narratives, stories, and experiences are foundational and reciprocal to the preferential design of space and place
• Nonverbal communication is a vital aspect of clinical assessments, empowering healthcare professionals to understand and cater to the needs of their patients
• How the Raise the Garden project intends to facilitate novel interventions for LTCH
• The role of Ikebana in facilitating social inclusion and wellness outcomes

Discussion Topic 1:
How can we improve the function and flow of LTC to better support staff and residents?

Discussion Topic 2:
How can we build culture and community in LTC and what role does physical infrastructure play?

Discussion Topic 3:
How can we effectively evaluate and translate lessons learned around models of care and the infrastructure we are building for seniors?

Social isolation has been shown to negatively impact both physical and mental wellbeing of older adults. This became especially apparent during the pandemic.

This session will explore innovative intergenerational and community focused infrastructure projects that will serve to address what has become known as the ‘loneliness epidemic’.

Project 1 | New Waterford Hub

Project 2 | Designing for Vitality and Connection in Senior Living

• Exploring a bold vision to design vibrant interconnected, intergenerational communities that enrich lives and foster purpose, connection, and vitality for seniors
• Examining opportunities for community building – our strategic focus on collaborating with municipalities to co-create intentional developments that meet local needs with the right mix of housing, services, and care
• Taking a thoughtful, future-ready approach to site development and placemaking
• Innovation in action – From a first-of-its-kind partnership to co-locate senior living on the Trent University campus, to planned developments in Wasaga Beach, Ingersoll and the Town of the Blue Mountains–fostering belonging, intergenerational connection, and wellness, whether through co-location with recreation and education, proximity to nature and neighbourhood amenities, or integration into larger health and wellness hubs

It has been just over a year since Kiknu opened its doors in Eskasoni.

This 48-bed long term care home is the first to be built in a First Nations community in Nova Scotia. From the turtle-like shape to purpose-built spaces within, this home has been guided by and designed for Mi’kmaw elders.

This session will provide insights from the project journey, including:

• Engaging with Indigenous elders about how to design and deliver culturally responsive care environments like Kiknu
• Highlighting intentional design decisions both interior and exterior that capture a sense of home by honouring Eskasoni values and traditions
• Examining how the partnership between Eskasoni, Mi’kmaw Nation and Shannex was established and what it entails
• Assessing the strengths of this partnership and whether it could be replicated to deliver future projects
• Sharing insights on how this project is beneficial for the First Nation, broader community and the province
• Providing key takeaways on lessons learned or opportunities to build upon that emerged from this project

In this session, three experts—from long-term care operations, infrastructure design, and systems integration—share their unique perspectives on implementing digital infrastructure in LTC environments.

• Learn how technology is transforming resident care, enhancing team workflows, and enabling more connected, secure, responsive, and future-ready care models
• Gain practical insights into trends, challenges, and opportunities in scaling digital systems across both new construction and retrofit projects, including:
  • Nurse call
  • RTLS, patient wandering
  • Network infrastructure
  • Security systems
  • Smart building technologies