Design ideas competition to improve quality of life for aged care residents

The federal government has launched a national design ideas competition, challenging architects and interior designers to reconceptualize aged care homes to better accommodate and suit the needs of residents.

The competition, Reimagining Where We Live, comes after The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety identified that less than half of residential aged-care homes adopt accessible and dementia-friendly design principles.

The contest has been developed to test the draft National Aged Care Design Principles and Guidelines, which was released for public comment earlier this September and has the objective of creating a better quality of life for those in aged care through practical changes to aged care homes.

Two locations, one regional and one metropolitan, have been put forward for the competition, with participants able to submit designs for one or both sites. First place winners for either location will receive $50,000, while runners-up will be awarded $20,000.

Minister for Aged Care, Anika Wells said the competition has the potential to vastly improve quality of life for older people and the working environments of the people who care for them.

"To achieve this, design must be grounded in the experiences of people who live in aged care homes and evidence for how best to mitigate the challenges that lead them to seek residential care," she said. "The government wants to encourage flexibility and innovation in aged care accommodation design and support emerging technologies to better meet the need of future generations."

The Australian Institute of Architects and Australian Institute of Landscape Architects have encouraged design practitioners to get involved and be part of the solution for supporting older people to live meaningful lives by creating safe environments, which promote accessibility, independence, function and a sense of belonging.