Thesis (B. Arch.)--Roger Williams University, 2007. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references. Also available online via Digital Commons @ RWU.

Thesis (M.S.)--Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1993. / Vita. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 120-126). Also available via the Internet.

Thesis (M.S.)--Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1993. / Vita. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 83-86). Also available via the Internet.

Thesis (M.Arch.)--University of Hong Kong, 1999. / Includes special report study entitled : Interactive circulation space for elderly. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in print.

Thesis (M.Arch.)--University of Hong Kong, 2001. / Includes special study report entitled: 'Pattern language' of elderly indoors living. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in print.

The number of elderly people moving into long-term care facilities is expected to increase as the population of people 65 and older continues to rise at a significantly high rate. Simultaneously, the number of people expected to be diagnosed with dementia will also increase unless a cure for this devastating disease is found. In the meantime, caregivers face many problems in providing healthy and humane treatments. One such problem that is a major concern for caregivers is controlling wandering behavior. This behavior often places patients in life threatening situations, and the current methods used by many facilities do not promote a high quality of life. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of various tape patterns on the wandering behaviors of residents living in a special dementia care unit in Heritage Hall Nursing Home, Blacksburg, Virginia. Similar studies revealed that alternative methods using tape patterns could reduce exiting attempts at a fire exit door or could possibly increase these attempts. In order to address these inconsistencies, exiting attempts at a fire exit door were recorded during one baseline and two similar test conditions. It was found that exiting attempts was a serious problem in this unit as 40% of the residents attempted to exit the faci I ity during the study. The use of tape patterns reduced exiting attempts by 19.05% and 11.12%; however, this reduction was not statistically significant. In conclusion, the use of these tape patterns affected wandering behavior differently for each of the residents, suggesting that a multi-method approach for controlling exiting behavior may prove to be more successful when dealing with a heterogeneous sample and their multi-needs. / Master of Science

Unsafe exits from dementia care units present problems for residents and pose ethical dilemmas for caregivers. The purpose of this experimental research was to determine whether visual barriers reduced the exiting behavior of residents in a long-term care facility. A visual barrier was defined as one that appeared to be an obstruction, but that did not impede egress through the door. The study was conducted in a 30-bed dementia care unit and was limited to the emergency exit door where an alarm sounded each time the panic bar was touched. An “exit" was defined as a resident touching the panic bar and sounding the alarm. The sample consisted of 3 females and 6 males who attempted to exit the unit at least once during baseline condition. All residents were diagnosed with some form of dementia. The tests were conducted under three visual barriers and one baseline condition. Each condition was observed for seven days from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. The schedule was as follows: Baseline Condition: No experimental manipulation was used. This observation provided a comparison for the three test conditions. Test Condition 1: Mini-blinds that covered the glazing of the door. Test Condition 2: Cloth panel that covered the panic bar of the door. Test Condition 3: Both the mini blind and the cloth panel. During baseline collection, 9 residents triggered the alarm for a total of 120 attempted exits. Test condition 1 decreased exiting to 73 attempts. During test condition 2, 5 attempted exits occurred, and 18 attempted exits occurred during test condition 3. Statistical analysis included Friedman’s Rank test for correlated samples and Wilcoxon Sign Rank tests for treatment versus control comparisons. Test conditions 2 and 3 significantly reduced attempted exits while test condition 1 was not statistically significant. In conclusion, visual barriers were a safe and effective method for deterring resident exiting for this particular nursing home. / Master of Science

Recent experiences in environmental design have suggested the importance of understanding the wants and needs of users of various settings. Designers of large-scale environments find it necessary to turn to others professionals for guidance in designing more responsive settings for daily living. Existing misfits between behavioral needs of the elderly and the community spaces in planned residential environments are explored. It was found that the designer often worked with inadequate and sometimes misleading information while confronted with tasks which demanded deeper understanding of human behavior and desires. The central issue of this thesis is focused on the questions: how can we bridge the communication gap between researchers and designers? And, how can the information, which were presented by behavioral researchers, be best translated into formats useful to designers? As an illustration, the thesis concludes with the descriptions of the guidelines for twenty-two activity areas deemed essential in the design of community spaces in elderly housing. In these guidelines, spatial relationships, environmental qualities, and furnishings and equipment for each are suggested. / M. Arch.

The purpose of the study is to set forth a framework for the research of spatio-environmental factors on the experience of time duration. A literature survey considers the nature of the experience of time as well as the research that has been carried out on different factors in the experience of time duration. The survey also considers different categories of the spatio-environmental realm and how the realm is experienced through the sensory system. Particular attention is directed in the primary hypothesis toward the possible influence of the spatio-environmental factor of complexity, especially visual complexity. Exploratory testing of complexity used 24 college students performing duration estimates with the Production method viewing scale models of different complexity of wall surface and pattern. A secondary aspect of the study is to find support for the possible application of the primary hypothesis to the field of architecture. One undesirable experience of time duration, boredom, is studied in greater detail. Literature support is found for the relationship between boredom and decreased sense input, with decreased perceived visual complexity an example of decreased sense input. The susceptibility of the elderly to decreased sense input is considered, pointing to a possible increased susceptibility of the elderly to certain types of boredom. The scale model testing was modified with a glass screen to simulate decreased visual input, and the relationship between decreased visual input and duration estimation was analyzed for support of the secondary hypothesis. Tests for both hypotheses failed to provide confirmation but offer helpful guidance for future tests. / M. Arch.

The goal of this project is to create an outdoor environment that responds to the social, physical and emotional needs of older adults.The main objective of this project is to provide quality outdoor spaces associated with a housing facility. To meet this objective, the project stresses three major objectives: (1) to integrate the older adults' housing facility with the neighborhood in order to eliminate segregation and loneliness; (2) to determine the aspects of nature that are beneficial to the older adults' physical and mental health; and (3) to create an appropriate outdoor environment that will increase social contact and enhance active and passive recreational spaces to improve physical and emotional health.The literature section of this project focuses on setting up criteria for the questionnaire. The Literature review also helps to identify guidelines for design and design principles. Criteria for the final conceptual design was set using the data from the survey and the case studies. Finally a conceptual design was created to meet the objectives. / Department of Landscape Architecture