Living while dying: An exploration of design through relationship-centered end-of-life care

The purpose of this research project was to evaluate the interior spaces of an end-of-life care facility in order to understand how these spaces affect the patients, the families, and the staff of the facility and then to use this information as a basis for the design portion of this thesis. A review of the existing literature as well as data gathered from original research were coupled in order to create Dogwood Lane, an end-of-life care facility located in Tallahassee, Florida with an environment that is functionally sound, promotes well-being, and facilitates interaction.;End-of-life care is a social and medical reform movement that offers its patients "care rather than cure" (Silver, 2004, p. S-202). Its intent is to provide patients comfort, dignity, and respect during the final stages of life, helping to ease the transition from life to death. Although there are three types of end-of-life care including care for AIDS patients, care for children, and care for the elderly, this research study focuses on end-of-life care for the elderly.;An end-of-life care facility located in Tallahassee, Florida was chosen as the research site for this study. The methods of observational research, behavioral mapping, staff surveys, and an interview with the Director of Nursing were utilized for this study. The findings provide insight into the design functionality of the facility and how this design directly affects the behaviors and interaction of its user groups: the patients, the families, and the staff.;The study focused on certain areas of the facility including the patient room, the seating areas adjacent to the patient rooms, the living room, the kitchen, the outdoor garden area, the sun porch, and the spiritual care space. Narrowing the focus of the study to these seven spaces allowed for the intense exploration of these critical spaces. Research indicated that interaction among patients, families, and staff takes place in each of the aforementioned spaces; however, some spaces are utilized more frequently than others. It was found that the facility provided privacy, facilitated social support, and promoted well-being through its overall space plan, its residential feeling, and its implementation of nature.;Design considerations for this thesis project, Dogwood Lane, were developed from the existing literature and the conducted research, creating an evidence-based design for this facility. The final design for this facility is one that promotes well-being, stimulates interaction and gathering, is safe for all users, and eases the transition from life to death for both the patients and families of Dogwood Lane.