Hospice intro

NAME: NANDINI ROLL NO.: 17001006046 SEC-B

DISSERTATION : IX

Healing space

Architecture

Terminally ill

SPATIAL MATRIX FOR INFIRM WELL-BEING IN PALLIATIVE CARE CENTRE

PALLIATIVE CARE CENTRES: Palliative care (derived from the Latin root palliare, or "to cloak") is an interdisciplinary medical caregiving approach aimed at optimizing quality of life and mitigating suffering among people with serious, complex illness. The World Health Organization (WHO) describes palliative care as "an approach that improves the quality of life of patients and their families facing the problems associated with life-threatening illness, through the prevention and relief of suffering by means of early identification and impeccable assessment and treatment of pain and other problems, physical, psychosocial, and spiritual.“ Palliative care is appropriate for individuals with serious illnesses across the age spectrum and can be provided as the main goal of care or in tandem with curative treatment. It is provided by an interdisciplinary team which can include physicians, nurses, occupational and physical therapists, psychologists, social workers, chaplains, and dietitians.

AIM: The process of death and dying is an aspect of our society that greatly influences our social context. That being said, the terminally ill are not often accommodated in the way that they need to be. The institutions that house the terminally ill tend to be too clinical in both the built environment and their processes. The infirms and their families need a chance to emotionally prepare themselves for the processes ahead of them. Even though the concepts around death and dying are often taboo, the design process should be sensitive while tackling palliative care. In the hope to ensure that the patients are exposed to nature, protection, sensory stimulation and a sense of sanctuary in a home-like environment which encourages social interaction. This dissertation proposes to focus on the physical environment of palliative care that facilitates the dying process, through the design of integrated living and hospice care. The objective is to reintroduce life within the architectural environment through the embodiment of movement, visual interest, meaning, memory, choice and integration. It focuses on ultimately understanding perception while focusing on the senses to induce a sense of wellness.