Oct 17, 2019
Before we get into this week's topic, would you please take 1 MINUTE to complete this GeriPal survey! It will really help us out. We swear, only 1 minute! Click the link below to access the survey (or copy and paste in your browser). Thank you! GERIPAL SURVEY https://ucsf.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_esS7pUAOgSIbNGZ Now on to this week's topic... Alex: What do you get when you mix a doctor and an architect? Eric: An Archidoc? Alex: No a Dochitect. What do you get when you mix a gerontologist with an architect? Eric: A gerontolitect? Alex: No an environmental gerontologist. OK, so we didn't have that EXACT conversation on this podcast, but something close to it. There is a growing recognition that many of the settings where older adults receive healthcare are not designed to meet the needs of older adults. The early part of this movement resulted in the Americans with Disabilities Act, which mandated such things as accessibility for persons with wheelchairs. But it so much more than that. The architecture of health care buildings can actually impair the health of older adults or people living with serious illness - think lack of windows, rooms designed around beds, and placement close to noisy workspaces. Can you say delirium??? Re-designed spaces also have the potential to improve outcomes for older adults and people with serious illness. Further, redesigned spaces can improve quality of life for healthcare providers, and those benefits may be passed on to our patients. To discuss these fascinating issues we talked with Dochitect Diana Anderson, MD, M. Arch (UCSF geriatrics fellow) and Emi Kiyota, PhD, environmental gerontologist. Click here (http://www.dochitect.com/) to learn more about Diana and links to her publications, and here (https://ibasho.org/) to learn more about Emi and her website Ibasho, Japanese for "a place where one can feel at home and be oneself." Enjoy! by: @AlexSmithMD