Kakaako Community for Seniors with Alzheimer's

Date
2014-12
Authors
Kavcic, Sofija
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Leineweber, Spencer
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Architecture
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The aim of this thesis is to design a community based nursing facility for individuals afflicted with Alzheimer's disease within the bustling new neighborhood of Kakaako. Kakaako (a Honolulu neighborhood) is undergoing a redevelopment phase and it is of utmost importance to predict its demographic needs in the early stages of the urban redevelopment process. The population growth in this neighborhood is already evident by many completed residential high-rises amid the light industrial milieu. Research has shown that the existing residential neighborhoods in Kakaako have roughly 3% of their population afflicted with, and another 12% (immediate family caregivers) affected by Alzheimer's disease. However, none of the existing or proposed developments in Kakaako offer Alzheimer's nursing care services. Creating nursing facilities for this population within walking distances of their family members is of crucial importance for the quality of lives for both patients and their loved ones for reasons elaborated in this thesis. Furthermore, latest research has shown that long-term care providers, in order to truly enhance the patients' lives, need to adopt the modern ""culture change"" ideas when designing and operating nursing facilities. This thesis adopts the Green House model, one of the growing ""culture change"" practices in the US. While this model recognizes the structural/architectural reorganization of space as a major component, it emphasizes the people-centered approach in providing care to the elderly, especially those afflicted with Alzheimer's disease. This thesis takes all these considerations into account. The methodology in the thesis combines demographic, cultural, structural and architectural aspects into the design. It i) starts with the analysis of Kakaako demographics, ii) uses the demographic findings to locate a proper lot for the facility, iii) justifies its size, functionality, marketability and replicability by crosscorrelating existing facilities, government and state regulations, local population needs, and modern literature findings, and iv) proposes the design. The culmination of the thesis is the design of a 7-story 55-bed modern family-friendly Alzheimer's nursing home in Kakaako.
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195 pages
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