The world our seniors live in has seen many changes since the start of the year. Each month senior living adjusts the focus on how best to maintain every environment in all submarkets to assure functioning safe spaces. In January, the design trends for senior living unveiled furniture and art styles, human centric and biorhythmic lighting and a rise in the use of technology. Today, senior living continues to reimagine those trends as they move forward. Successfully reimagining senior living design, post COVID-19, begins with good choices.
Five Top Reimagined Trends Post COVID-19 –
1. Easily cleaned seating easily integrated into your community – First and foremost, lounge seating in senior living common areas must be comfortable. In a pandemic, in which seniors are disproportionately hard hit, lounge seating must be easily and frequently cleaned. These lounge chairs, love seats and sofas must also be socially distanced so that the residents can safely gather. Think lounge seating with smooth surfaced arms and legs that when cleaned often, do not lose their elegant look. Lounge seating with higher backs like Kwalu’s Monreale and Prizzi can be comfortably integrated into your community as you reimagine the design of your space post COVID-19.
2. Accommodating socially distanced yet social community activities – Spaces that are multi-purposed by design are familiar and comfortable to seniors. These spaces provide the socialization seniors crave. Furniture here must be positioned to develop small group areas. A theater chair with wheels, and its own table and cup holder like Kwalu’s Sassari checks all the boxes. The frequently touched arms and tablet, of course, are solid surfaces that can be easily cleaned.
3. Dining options that make sense for the entire community – Not everyone in senior living wants the grand dining experience with planned mealtimes. Café areas with two person tables are becoming more popular. These are easier to space making all diners feel secure when eating outside of their rooms or apartments. The Sciara seating group by Kwalu has several options for café dining, including a café chair and both bar and counter height stools.
4. Tables for dining and other activities – Senior living communities are reimagining their dining spaces as smaller areas accommodating fewer residents at a time. Dining tables should vary in size and shape to allow for proper spacing between diners. Consider tables made of material that can be easily and frequently cleaned with bleach or alcohol-based cleaners between each setting. The Rimini Dining Table by Kwalu has several sizes and accommodates wheelchairs. Select dining tables that can double as activity tables, where one or two residents can work on a puzzle or play bingo with a small group.
5. Worry-free high touch occasional tables – Surfaces in senior living are touched a lot. It is important to prioritize high touch table tops with an eye toward their ability to stand up to frequent and intense cleaning, not just for coronaviruses but for cold and flu as well. Reimagine common areas with Kwalu’s Terzo Cantilever Nesting tables. These personal occasional tables with solid surface tops are easily cleaned frequently, keeping germs and other pathogens at bay.