Episode 16:8 Christine Foster on innovation in senior living, collaborative housing models, and trauma-informed design

Christine Foster, CID, NCIDQ, EDAC is a Licensed New York State Interior Designer and 25-year veteran of the design industry. Learn about her innovative housing model that aligns affordable housing for caregivers with a multi-generational residential home for aging in community.

About Christine

Christine practices as a New York State Licensed Interior Design Professional and operates eight two three Interior Planning / Design LLC, located in Horseheads New York.

As a graduate of Rochester Institute of Technology, she received her BFA in Interior Design with a concentration in Environmental Studies in 1995. While New York State Licensure, and NCIDQ Certification attest to her understanding of public health, safety, and welfare requirements, her commitment to design extends well beyond these critical fundamentals.

Christine’s desire to align evidence in the healthcare industry with built environment led her to obtain the EDAC-Evidence Based Design Accreditation and Certification, in 2020. She continues her commitment to the utilization of built environment as a tool for preventative medicine in the spaces she creates. Understanding how spaces impact our psychological and physiological well-being remains her true passion. Christine encourages the utilization of Biophilic and Trauma Informed Design approaches in her work. She maintains that these interventions are imperative to include in the planning of successful collaborative living environments.

 Most recently, Christine has pioneered a grassroots community initiative in support of a model that aligns affordable housing for caregivers alongside a collaborative, multi-generational residential home for aging in community. Through this initiative, Christine has created an opportunity to elevate her knowledge of evidence-based design practice by connecting both established and evolving programs within the long-term care industry with built environment.  Her affiliations with SAGE- Society for Advancement of Gerontological Environments and The Center for Health Design since 2018 has afforded the alignment of relevant research with design of the built environment.

Key Takeaways

• New models for senior living are essential. Retirement communities, nursing homes, or aging in place can no longer be the only options. It takes innovation and creativity to find new solutions.
• Connecting the built environment with long-term care could have profound impacts on aging. From the trajectory of many diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, one’s space can have a positive influence on varying aspects of aging – and it’s where a lot of other solutions lie.
• We need options for mid-market seniors. Currently, they are rare, and we have a "tsunami" of older adults needing solutions for longt-erm care.
• A collaborative housing model looks at separating the cost of housing from the cost of care. This housing model would home five to seven residents with an adjacent dwelling for a caregiver, rotating family member, student, or other community member. Among other things, it would help curb the loneliness factor of aging.
• Trauma-informed and biophilic design research is key to the success of collaborative housing models.