Skilled Nursing Facility

"Creating a New Generation of Nursing Facilities"

What's the best way to design a skilled nursing facility so that it maintains an enriching community atmosphere for its residents?

That's a key goal for MWH experts currently providing planning, architecture and engineering services to a new 176-bed, 135,000 square foot Skilled Nursing Facility in Cooperstown, New York.

Neighborhoods for Residents

MWH is designing the New York facility to stimulate a "downtown" of community activities, with adjoining "neighborhoods" of residential living.

The concept consists of individual bedroom units cloistered around common activity spaces and staff supervision. The units are private and feature all necessary support services. Each has a bathing and living area space as well.

The dining and cooking functions are centrally located within the community activity area. Also centrally located are the common activity rooms and recreational center.

This community-based design concept offers residents a life style choice. Three separate communities converge on the downtown community center. Each of these communities has three neighborhoods, allowing 12 residents per neighborhood.

Residents Helped Process

At the beginning of the project, MWH held a Design Retreat. The brainstorming session included current residents, facility management, county officials and the MWH design team. Also attending was a nationally recognized leader in gerontology, who participated in the planning process.

The group evaluated the existing facility's conditions and programs. At the same time, they identified new features that should be included in the new design concept.

Together, these stakeholders created a community that many now consider the next generation of skilled nursing facilities.