Understanding the needs of resident mobility levels when designing care facilities

Understanding the needs of the resident

Living in an elderly care facility involves a big adjustment for most people. It means you may be dependent on others for your most basic care needs. You may need help to go to the toilet, not to mention taking a shower or a bath. Some people may even have problems with basic everyday activities such as making themselves understood, or swallowing food and drink.

People at the center of care

In elderly care facilities, different people with different preferences, backgrounds and abilities live together and are taken care of. It is their home – often their last home. We need to keep in mind that care has to centre around the individual. It is important to let residents express their own preferences – they should be allowed to exert influence, express approval or disapproval, take initiative, and decide on matters such as their own personal care. This autonomy over their own life has a profound influence on a resident’s sense of independence, dignity, and overall quality of life.

Ageing residents become increasingly dependent

When planning an elderly care facility, one should be conscious of the fact that that residents may naturally become increasingly dependent as they age. To create a well functioning elderly care environment, you need to plan for all levels of dependence, from more active residents who need varying levels of stimulation to keep their abilities, to the most dependent residents who require maximum support.
A care environment needs to support mobility, but also consider situations when the resident is not able to get out of bed. A modern elderly care facility needs to be adaptable, and be designed for change.

Mobility gallery

While it is important to recognise that a ’typical’ resident does not exist, when planning a care facility, it can be helpful to use a classification and standardisation system and recognise that not all residents are the same with the same functional levels and hence the same requirements. Within rehabilitation healthcare several classification systems have been developed, such as the Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI)¹ and the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health². These validated tools are typically used to plan for care and rehabilitation centred around individual needs. With these tools as a base, Arjo has developed our Mobility Gallery.
The Mobility Gallery™ is a functional assessment tool which has been developed by Arjo based on 5 different levels of functional mobility, from completely mobile and independent (Albert), to those who are entirely dependent upon their care being provided by others (Emma). We refer to these different people in alphabetic order from A to E³.
The mobility gallery is more than a classification system. Each character is based on people you could and will meet in real life. Being able to visualise these characters helps us understand the needs and challenges they may face, and can make it easier to discuss and plan for the practical aspects of resident assistance and care.

Mobility gallery

Planning for mobility levels 

Here at Arjo, we have developed the guide for Architects and Planners, a digital portal that contains CAD drawings, room layout examples and space requirements.  You can find the insights and drawings in the link (free sign-up) below.