March 2009

Dear Members of the Design for Aging Knowledge Community (DFA):

Thank you for your membership in DFA! As the 2009 chair, I would like to take this opportunity to highlight our plans for 2009 and accomplishments from 2008 as we continue our work to foster design innovation and disseminate knowledge necessary to enhance the built environment and the quality of life for an aging society.

2009 Plans and Projects:

• Environments for Aging .09 Conference
  Boston, MA | March 29-31
  A collaboration with the Vendome Group

• Design for Aging Review (DFAR) 10
  Submission Opens: June 1, 2009
  Submission Closes: July 31, 2009, 3 p.m. ET
  The Tenth cycle of this bi-annual competition features a new and improved "easy" entry format, additional categories, and revised fee structure.

• AAHSA Annual Meeting and Exposition
  Chicago, IL | November 8-11, 2009
  DFA will present sessions and exhibits
  
  
• Advocacy Efforts and Resources
  Grassroots Conference, Washington, DC
  DFA members participated in DesignU by providing an educational session for members of Congress. This two hour presentation encompassed a variety of issues including demographics of seniors, the history of senior care, the lack of affordable housing, an overview of regulations in conflict with the needs of older adults, and documentation from our post-occupancy evaluations (evidenced based design).
  
  Pioneer Network has included DFA members in their newly formed taskforce to review and seek modification to NFPA regulations as they relate to skilled nursing environments.
  

• Design for Aging Blueprints for Senior Living Newsletter
  The official DFA enewsletter provies articles, updates, event listings and other information relevant to those involved in aging facility design.
  

• Design for Aging Chapters
  Seattle, San Francisco (Bay Area), Boston, and Philadelphia are up and running!
  New chapters anticipated in Chicago, Minneapolis, St. Louis, Jacksonville (Fla.), New York and Baltimore.

• Post Occupancy Tool Kit
  Coming soon—the tool kit that will guide you through a typical post-occupancy evaluation and the compilation of evidenced based design criteria.

• Data Mining Results from DFAR9
  Release of information gleaned from the intensive data requirements on the DFAR entry forms! New ideas, trends, and project costs are assembled in one easy to use document.

• Interaction with other Knowledge Communities
  DFA Vice Chair Eric McRoberts, AIA participated as a jury member for the 2009 Small Project Awards Competition. As a result, Eric brought new ideas to the format of our own DFAR10!

2008 Highlights and Major Accomplishments

• Environments for Aging Conference
  A partnership was established with the Vendome Group to provide content for their yearly conference. Session content and site tours were developed by a task force comprised of Design for Aging, The Center for Health Design, SAGE, and ASID. Environments for Aging is exclusively focused on topics of interest to architects, developers, owners, and administrators involved in the design and operations of senior living facilities.

• Design for Aging Review 9 Publication
  Released in October 2008, DFAR 9 is the latest resource showcasing projects of excellence in senior housing.

• 2008 AAHSA Annual Meeting and Exposition
  Our partnership with AAHSA continues to be a venue for architects and providers to network and learn. Sessions included post-occupancy evaluations for two of the DFAR9 award winning projects.
  

• Design for Aging Post-Occupancy Evaluations: innovations, solutions, and critical errors
  This multi-media presentation demonstrated how Post-Occupancy Evaluations can provide the foundation for evidence-based design in senior living

• Access Board/AIA Workshop on Assisted Transfer
  AIA/DFA hosted a one day workshop with the goal of presenting recommendations to the US Access Board to improve assisted transfer in toilet areas. A task force has been assembled to review options and provide working solutions; however, the long term goal is to focus on the criteria required to establish an "exception for the elderly" within current ADA regulations

• DFA Chapters Established
  Members of DFA chapters continue to actively support locations in San Francisco, Boston, Philadelphia, and Seattle.

• DFA Web Site
  Regular updates provide new resources relevant to your practice. Examples include:
  • Article: Ten Considerations for Socially Inclusive and Human Centered Design for All: A Common Sense Approach to Designing for Our Aging Population
  • Podcast: "The Evidence-Based Truth about Private Rooms for the Aging"

• Grants Awarded!
  DFA received two grants. The first allowed us to data mine the results from the DFAR9 competition. This grant was matched in kind by Perkins and Eastman (Pittsburg office)who lead the way in retrieving, formatting, analyzing, and publishing the data.
  
  The second grant allowed the local chapters (Boston, San Francisco, and Seattle) to perform and document three post-occupancy evaluations.

• DFA Members Selected for "Jury Duty"
  AIA/S partnered with AARP to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of AARP with a competition to honor the memory of AARP founder Ethel Percy Andrus. The Ethel Percy Andrus House of Freedom Student Design Competition challenged students to create unique living environments that incorporated sustainability, universal design principles, and an ability to adapt for a variety of ages. DFA provided a juror.

For more information about any of the above-listed events and programs visit the DFA Web site. If you have any questions or comments or wish to become more involved in DFA, please email dfa@aia.org.

Sincerely,

Ingrid Fraley, ASID
2009 Chair, AIA Design for Aging Knowledge Community Advisory Group