Challenges and Satisfaction – A Glimpse Into Healthcare Interior Design
Quick – how many facilities can you think of that are used 24/7, 365 days per year? Perhaps your first thought was of a few megastore or convenience-store chains. Or maybe a prison. Recently, I traveled to Las Vegas, and have added casinos to the list.
Most important on the list are hospitals. Fortunately for us, hospitals never close. Yet being open all the time takes its toll on the facility, as a wide range of workers are always on the job.
It also poses maintenance challenges, because cleaning and other work needs to be done while care-related functions continue.
These are just a few of the many challenges facing healthcare interior design today.
There are a host of codes and regulations that must be adhered to, such as Public Health codes, Fire Marshal codes, HIPAA/privacy issues, and infection-control constraints, just to name a few.
In hospitals, there are people’s emotions at every level – from the extreme joy at the birth of a healthy baby, to the extreme grief of a loved one’s sudden and tragic death.
There are facility users of all sorts: staff, doctors, patients, visitors, volunteers, consultants, sales representatives, delivery personnel, and clergy.
There is every level of education and every level of job – from housekeeping to brain surgery and everything in between.
And of course, there are budgets!
Armed with all of these challenges, the healthcare client comes to the interior designer and says, “Here you go. Oh, and by the way, be creative! Make our space flexible for uses we don’t even know about yet. Make our space functional and beautiful and life enhancing.
Help us create a space that we can use to recruit and retain staff, and use for marketing our services in this extremely competitive market.” Delivering effective and appealing solutions to these challenges is very satisfying, and for me, being able to affect someone’s healthcare experience in a positive way is as good as it gets.
Given these parameters, where does a healthcare interior designer start? With communication. First and foremost, talking with a client to gain an understanding of their facility, their needs, and their expectations is key. After that, the interior designer must develop ideas and options for further consideration. Most often, these ideas manifest as themes that offer a meaningful story for the healthcare facility.
Inspiration can come at any time from any place. For one project, I was inspired by a book that a facility used in its leadership training. “The Man Who Planted Trees” talked about a shepherd who planted 100 acorns each day for 40 years, transforming a barren land into a lush forest. The hospital admired the shepherd’s many qualities – such as caring, patience, persistence, and commitment – and wanted to use this as an example of how one person has the ability and power to make a profound difference to their surroundings. An indomitable spirit of committed people can make a visible and tangible difference in the world. These were important characteristics for the hospital leadership to have.
With this as a starting point, I thought of an acorn and what it becomes in the future: a tree.
A “tree of life” as a metaphor for the hospital was very fitting. I took it one step further and thought, what do we love about trees in West Michigan? Trees change dramatically with the changing seasons. Next, I had to translate this into a tangible design concept. I did this by dividing the floor plan into four areas, one for each season. I used blue and green (basic colors found in nature) as the mainstay color palette to unify the space, then changed accent colors and patterns to reflect each season. To facilitate wayfinding in the facility, I used icons such as an acorn, a leaf, a flower, and the sun. This created an environment that was both appropriate and meaningful to this particular healthcare facility.
This is just one example of how interior design can be used to personalize and give meaning to a healthcare facility. To stay competitive in a fiercely competitive market is no small task. Smartly planned interior design can support a facility’s vision to be a destination of choice.
What is a Retreat?
We live in a fast-paced competitive society where we suffer from lack of sleep, become overworked and tense full of anxiety and stress which seem to be addressed as the norm. In today’s world, we are influenced by other people’s thoughts and perceptions, which provoke thoughts of anxiety, worry, apathy, irritability, helplessness, hopelessness and fear…so to ask yourself…How healthy is it to have your energy consumed by so many different negative states of being and thoughts simultaneously?” It is simply not right to let these things dominate our mind and body. What is the answer to overcome these everyday pressures from our society? The answer is to reduce tension, quiet our active minds by letting go; otherwise known as Relaxation.
Around the globe, various forms of relaxation have been practiced which include an expression of arts, exercise and mind/body movement. One example of relaxation is the practice of Yoga which was introduced over four thousand years ago. In India, Yoga is a way of life and practiced daily to improve the body’s physical health and clear the mind in preparation for meditation in the pursuit of enlightenment. One of the most important elements of yoga is the breathing which is the breath control; called “pranayama.” “Pranayama” in yoga terms, let’s you enter into an environment that will allow you to just “BE” connecting your mind and body to support you on your path to holistic wellness.
Let’s try practicing this simple breathing exercise together…Stop what you are doing…
Slowly begin to inhale deeply from the diaphragm and letting the breath move slowly through the body to reach above the crown of your head.
Pause…
Hold this breath for 10 seconds.
Exhale slowly letting the air and expelling it out all the way through your body to the very tips of your toes.
We all have to breathe whether we think about it or not, as it’s necessary for our being. The meaning of Pranayama in Sanskrit can be separated as such; Prana=lifeforce and yama=control. Therefore, pranayama is the art of mastering the lifeforce within your being and body. In addition, specific breathing exercises are useful to release your body from muscular tension and free your body of any active thoughts. Synonymously, relaxation appears to be the correct way to recover from our active lives and means to letting go and improving our holistic selves.
Annually, we spend numerous amounts of time, energy and money investing into our future in order to increase our education, better our careers and enhance our knowledge. However, we have neglected ourselves, and in order to maintain the energy to complete all of these things we need to have the right combination of exercise, sleep, nutrition and stamina to maintain a balanced healthy mind and body. Our goal is to align our priorities and put ourselves first. Some of the most popular ways to enjoying life are by getting involved in leisure activities, participating in organized events or going on vacation. Therefore, with that being said as our response to addressing the everyday stressors that dominate our society it is necessary to incorporate a form of relaxation which leads me to the introduction of the buzzword “RETREATS.”
You may ask yourself some of the following questions; what is a retreat and what does it consist of? The answers are simple; retreats focus on activities that will provide rest and relaxation for your mind, body & soul giving you the opportunity to discover your unlimited energy and potential within. A retreat can consist of a visit to a local spa, a fitness class, a mind/body class, meditation, spiritual activities, experiencing an alternative therapy, receiving a massage, traveling to a retreat centre and other simple activities that allow you to enjoy yourself without having any judgments or perceptions in your mind.
There are plenty of organized retreat getaways all over the world. They usually have a daily routine with morning and evening mind/body exercise, lectures, workshops, activities mixed throughout the day, spa therapies, alternative healing sessions and healthy meals. These retreats often have several adventure activities packed into their schedule depending on the location. There are retreats that will cater to specific interests and needs some examples include; Spiritual, Raw Foods, Detox, Couples, Creative Writing, Meditation, Yoga, Pilates, Surfing, Women/Men only and Adventure Retreats.
Retreats may also offer a variety of destinations making it more of a journey and sense of accomplishment when completed. Four years ago, I went on a wonderful Spiritual Journey visiting Monasteries, learning about Buddhism and experienced adventurous travels through India which included the achievement of reaching the peak of the Himalayan Mountain during our three day trek. This trip was organized by a non-profit organization and allowed participants to interact with the local people and immerse ourselves in their culture and way of life.
In addition, some of the larger retreat centers, such as Rancho La Puerta and Canyon Ranch offer theme weeks. You can also find local hotels with spas and day spas that will offer a menu for a half or full day treatment. There are also wellness companies that offer Mini Retreats locally which will provide you with a half or full day or weekend itinerary. Moreover, you can search the internet for the location and activities that you are looking for and are guaranteed to find one that fits your interests and needs. Therefore, retreats are becoming one of the most popular ways to enjoy your vacation and use your spare time efficiently. Therefore, consider taking the time to RELAX and do something for yourself and your body will thank you for letting it recuperate, refresh and rejuvenate.
