BS in Housing and Design, West Virginia University
Assistant Professor of Interior Design, NAU College of Art
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The MLS Program was an illuminating experience. It far exceeding my wildest expectations, quenching my passion and desire to create emotionally and aesthetically fulfilling environments for an aging U.S. population. This quest was accomplished through the integration of the study of gerontology, its connection to the study of good and sustainable societies, and communities consisting of seniors living life to the fullest.
The quest, my thesis titled the Aesthetics of Aging, directs design professionals through a process of creating a building’s interior environments for the welfare, pleasure and emotional needs of human beings, specifically senior citizens living in assisted living residences. The designs I suggest enhance the aesthetic value of the built interior environment and thereby contribute to the fullness of experience of those who live in senior residences faced with the challenge of living life to the fullest rather than just waiting to die.
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| Interior design in senior facilities can contribute to an atmosphere of beauty that is conducive to comfort, relaxation, safety and zestful living. Which interior design environment would you choose to live the remaining years of your life? | |
The patterns and processes described in Aesthetics of Aging provide a universal perspective of senior facilities including the location of the residence, the surrounding environment, the exterior design and details of the structure, the space plan, the interior design, and the details of many interior elements. The development of “soul areas,” areas of life and living that help to sustain the human spirit is discussed as well as how design, particularly interior design, can sustain or increase senior interaction, create privacy areas for residents, allow caregivers to tend to residents at their request, and contribute to an atmosphere of beauty, conducive to comfort, relaxation, safety and zestful living.
Commencement of this quest was only possible through the Master of Arts in Sustainable Communities program and its core coursework triggering community comprehension and providing me the freedom to enable seniors to rejoice and celebrate the Aesthetics of Aging.