Already now, architects and designers are actively developing technologies and methods to make elderly people feel comfortable and cozy, both in their home and in a medical institution (be it a sanatorium or a nursing home). Some initiatives to improve the lives of aging populations have already shown their benefits, others still need to be developed.
Architects are already designing new types of retirement communities. For example, in Portugal, a couple of years ago, the construction of the social complex of the Guedes Cruz company was completed. It has 52 residences made of concrete with plexiglass facades. This specialized village has everything from special lighting to various amenities that older people can use. In an emergency, the elderly person can press the panic button, which activates a special signal and a luminous lamp on the roof of the house to alert neighbors..
There is a retirement community in Paris that has homes for Alzheimer’s patients. They are specially designed to meet the emotional needs of tenants.
But architects and designers would not have been able to create their own fully comfortable homes for the elderly and decorate the interiors of nursing homes with great efficiency, if not for the firms that develop specialized gadgets. Several startups are releasing special medical equipment that is specially designed for the needs of older people. At the moment, many firms are producing handrails for the homes of the elderly, special beds, movable devices, and even developing companion robots for the elderly. There are also devices to make it easier for people to read or watches that remind them of taking medication. Certain systems allow remote care for patients and family members. All this is done in order to allow a person in old age to feel calm, free and not to fall under anyone’s care..
