Newsletter | May/Jun 2012


OWA Panel Discussion, "Tips from a Client's Point of View", April 12th


Leslie Moldow: Design Trends for an Aging Population

by Carolyn Dowd
Member Leslie Moldow, FAIA, LEED-AP, Managing Principal of the San Francisco office of Perkins Eastman, led two seminars at the recent Aging Services of California (ASC) conference in Palm Springs. In both sessions, Moldow and a panel of experts discussed the evolution of facility design for aging adults in California. Testifying to the subject matter's relevance, attendees packed the seminar rooms at the Palm Springs Convention Center to the point of overflowing.

The first presentation explored ramifications of a new Office of Statewide Health and Planning Development (OSHPD) regulation that allows providers to create a "household" model within their senior residence communities. Moldow explained that the regulations, set to be adopted by July 1, 2012, will encourage the design of more person-centered care for frail elders. Titled "California Introduces the Household SNF Model!" the seminar also featured David Nolan, of CHI Partners; Adriene Iverson, of Elder Care Alliance; and Glenn Gall, AIA, of OSHPD.

The second seminar was titled, "Alternative Retirement Communities: Wave of the Future." In it Moldow explored the types of environments aging baby boomers will demand as they seek to enter retirement housing. With a wide span of demographics, lively and eclectic tastes, a range of incomes, and a desire to shape their environments, retiring baby boomers will require a new set of responses from designers and providers: access to learning, spiritual adventures, wellness activities, and the possibility of joining like-minded communities. Other speakers included Daniel Ruth, CEO of the Jewish Senior Living Group at San Francisco Jewish Home, and Michael Gilliam President and CEO of Greenbrier Development, LLC.


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