Are Healthcare Facilities Healing Spaces?
Are Healthcare Facilities Healing Spaces?
November 20, 2014 by Taylor Studios
A few years ago my 83 year old father carried a toilet up a set of stairs and got a back ache a few days later. After a month of visiting doctors at various locations and still being in pain, he was admitted to the hospital. I received a call from my aunt that day telling me I needed to come take care of him, so I immediately made the four hour drive. That night our small town hospital helicoptered my dad to , a much bigger institution. I was in shock that his back ache lead to this. My father spent another seven weeks at St. Francis before he passed away. Until the end, I really thought he would be released.
During his time at St. Francis, he never got to go outside. My dog, , often travels with me and will hang in the car, weather permitting, while I go about my business. There were many times I wanted to bring her to my dad’s room. They were good buddies and I know they both would have been delighted to see each other. Eventually, I did decorate my dad’s room with a bunch of posters with photos of family and memories. Not only did these liven up the room, but also they gave him something to share with all his caregivers. He loved to talk to people.
How many healthcare facilities really offer a healing space?
defines healing as, “a holistic, transformative process of repair and recovery in mind, body, and spirit resulting in positive change, finding meaning, and movement towards self-realization of wholeness, regardless of the presence or absence of disease.” How many healthcare facilities really offer a healing space? Some of the key attributes they used to define a healing space include the following: relaxing, restorative, calming, nature filled, empowering and evokes a sense of wellbeing. It is a place that is mentally, physically and spiritually engaging.
A healing environment doesn’t mean there needs to be a cure. Wouldn’t an consider the mind and the spirit of the individual too? The Samueli Institute is researching the intersection of the internal, interpersonal, behavioral and external environment of healthy spaces and healing. They question whether the latest push towards evidence based design will really measure whether a space is healing.
Healthcare Design Conference
This week at the they conducted an interactive workshop around these questions. We broke into four groups and each focused on one of those areas. Here are the four questions we attempted to answer:
1. Are there elements of historical sacred places that could inform our quest for healing space?
2. How does the physical environment facilitate engagement or further team cohesion?
3. How can we make the facilitation of healing practices intuitively supported by design?
4. How does the built environment promote recovery or regeneration of health to its occupants?
How would you answer these? What do you want your healthcare facility to look like?
Future of Healthcare
I also attended a session on what the future of healthcare may look like by 2025. I like the picture they painted of it being more home centric. Only going to regional specialist hospitals for very intensive specialized care. Your local community will have wellness centers that help maintain healthy lifestyles and they administer general care. With technological advances many things can be monitored and administered right in your home.
If I could have a do over with my dad, I think I would have demanded that I get to take him on some outings away from the chaos of the hospital. I would have taken him to the country side. I would have let him play with my dog. I would have let him feel the breeze and sunshine. I would have made some home cooked meals. I would have held his hand through it all. Maybe that will be more possible as healthcare and technology advances.
How would you like to spend your last seven weeks?