Therapeutic spaces as a third caregiver

At first, the pandemic was a very unpleasant surprise for, and not saying much, all of humanity, but now that we are in the stage of readjusting and living in what has been called ‘the new normality’ (and this of ‘new normality’ is not just a name) it means that we are living in a world where all spaces and lifestyles remain the same, but different.

Speaking of recreating spaces and adapting them to the new normal, we have talked about airports, hotels, restaurants, cafes, schools and now it is the turn of hospitals.

It has been scientifically proven that the architecture and design of spaces have a direct influence on people’s health. Therefore, it is to be expected that caretaking places and hospitals have spatial characteristics that contribute to the recovery of older and sick people who must spend long periods away from home.

Humanizing caretaking spaces is possible, for example, incorporating into these places furniture and colors that recall living rooms instead of waiting rooms. Where is the difference? While a waiting room feels more impersonal and conveys a certain coldness, the living room evokes warmth and comfort, generating in patients a sense of familiarity that makes them feel more at home.

Improving the atmosphere in which the elderly has to stay can transform it into truly positive and renewing experiences through emotional and therapeutic interior design to bring it as close as possible to home design.

The current spatial objective is to generate kinder, more humane spaces that also have technological integration, be it in offices, schools, and recreational centers, as well as in places where health is the main character: the caretaking and hospital centers.