Dining in style

CHALLENGE:  A dining room that is attractive and functional
RESPONSE:  Selecting versatile furnishings that work

BY JOHN ANDREWS

The dining room is no longer just a place for eating. In the assisted living sector, it has typically become a multi¬ purpose community room for residents to gather for meetings, recreation and relaxation. It is often a main attraction when showing off the facility to prospective clients.

So designing a showcase dining room is not only integral to residents' comfort, it is also a tour exhibit. Interior design specialists have increasingly recognized this trend and are giving assisted living operators more choices than ever in styles, colors, textures and patterns. Moreover, these firms have become much more sensitive to the specific needs of assisted living residents.

Christina Parish, product manager for Milwaukee-based Direct Supply, says she has "a passion for furnishings because the people are so special" In order to design a dining room that accommodates this population, assisted living operators first need to look at environmental ambience, she said.

"Noise is a critical factor - traditional cafeterias are loud," Parish said. "There are a lot of hard surfaces and that only magnifies the noise. That can be very distracting for Alzheimer's and dementia residents and keep them from concentrating on their food."

Parish recommends employing noise mufflers like carpeting, tablecloths and billowing window treatments. Artificial trees and plants are not only decorative, they absorb sound as well, she said.

William Bernstein, principal of New York-based architecture firm Bernstein & Associates, adds that lower ceilings and padded chairs can reduce the cacophony as well.

"Lighting is also important," he said. "The dining room must be illuminated enough so that residents can see their food and each other. At the same time, efforts must be made to reduce glare. This can be done through a combination of direct and indirect lighting and skylights."

Beyond ambience, experts say dining rooms should be spacious in order to easily accommodate residents on wheels. Tables, for instance, should be high enough so there is ample clearance for a wheelchair to fit underneath, experts said.

Bernstein acknowledges that balancing the need for abundant space and the comfort of intimacy is the paradox of eldercare dining room design.

"These two objectives seem to be at odds with one another," he said. "The challenge is to create a space that accommodates practical needs of the residents while at same time creating the sense that you are not dining in an institution, but in someone's home.

"We make every effort to divide the dining rooms into several distinct spaces to foster a sense of variety," Bernstein continued.   "We achieve this by using different wall coverings, adding half-walls and intimate corner alcoves. Small tables that seat six to eight residents are also effective in creating intimate settings that are much more like dining at home."

Parish advocates a mix of square round tables to meet the needs of wheelchair and dementia patients. Beyond shape and size, there are other dimensions to consider when purchasing tables, she said.

"Make sure you know what the table is about before you buy it," she said. "Look at the functionality - how heavy it is, how easy it is to clean, how complicated it is to insert and remove leafs and how difficult it is to collapse or move."

3 LESSONS LEARNED