A Wayfinding System for Long-Term Care Facilities

JASON LABERGE, & GEOFFREY HO I F YOU ARE ONE OF THE FORTUNATE PEOPLE who live to a ripe old age, there is a good chance that you will spend some of that life in a long-term care facility. Large numbers of people in the United States spend at least some time in long-term care, and that translates into considerable outlays of public and private funds. Because the population in developed and developing countries is "graying" rapidly, these numbers and the costs associated with them can be expected to increase significantly over the next generation. Among the many economic, medical, and psychosocial issues associated with long-term care, one that is receiving increased attention is usability and design for residents (Pynoos & Stacey, 1986; Rule, Milek, & Dobbs, 1992). Nursing Homes/Long Term Care Management, an industry periodical, regularly features articles on design and gives annual awards for the best designs in long-term care facilities. These awards include wayfinding in the selection criteria. Additionally, a growing number of topical references and texts cover issues of wayfinding, safety, and comfort for long-term care residents (Brawley, 1997; Graafmans, Taipale, & Charness, 1997). Despite this professional and academic interest, there have been relatively few reports of how human factors/ergonomics principles are used to enhance the design of long-term care facilities. In the pages to follow, we describe a case study that illustrates how we partnered with a multidisciplinary team of designers, architects, mental health professionals, and staff to develop wayfinding signage and related affordances for a facility in rural Alberta, Canada.