By: James Watson

In the last blog article I wrote about the inherent “green” qualities of home care in terms of how it contributes to strong and sustainable communities by empowering seniors to remain in their homes. I explained how communities with many seniors, with strong knit social ties between the young and old, might be better poised to advocate around common environmental causes and create positive outcomes.

This week I would like to broaden the topic beyond only homecare to include senior care in institutional settings like long-term care homes, retirement residences and assisted living communities. I wish to emphasize that such green potential may exist within them and that all it takes is a little innovation and creative thinking to tease it out.

Greening Senior Care

Long-term care homes, retirement residences and assisted living communities present considerable challenges for a greener, more sustainable future in senior care. They are often housed in large buildings with equally large energy expenditures. They all have large common living areas and corridors that must be lit and heated or cooled regardless of whether they are in use. Family members wishing to visit their loved ones will often drive to the building, parking in an outdoor lot where a productive green space like a small park or forest could have been instead. Yet even despite these negative characteristics, these buildings may also present great opportunities for more “green” personalized care.

Green Roof Potential

Take the following long-term care home as an example of one embracing its greener side – here is a link to the news release: Wellesley Central green roof illustrating sector’s evolving sophistication. The release profiles the Wellesley Central Place, a long-term care home in Toronto’s downtown core that has incorporated a green roof into its building’s design. The green roof’s use of solar panels provides a source of renewable energy while the planting of grasses and other plants provide the building with better insulation and greater overall energy efficiency. In addition, the unique gardening opportunities presented by the green roof allow for activities that keep the home’s residents mentally stimulated and physically active.

An Environmental Legacy

With the senior demographic growing ever larger in Canada, the implications of their care decisions will grow too. It is up to the service providers to provide consumers with environmentally sound options so that everybody may receive the personalized care they desire while guaranteeing a positive environmental legacy for younger generations.