Timeline
May 2025 – September 2025
In this four-month project, the Health Design Lab worked with the Residences for Independent Living Society (RILS) False Creek to find out what a meaningful, purposeful, and connected life looks like for the residents, and what barriers and facilitators exist. The main goal of the project was to consider how a care model shift from long-term care to supported housing might impact residents’ and how the opportunity for more independence could be actualized while centering the abilities, needs and wishes of the existing residents.
The project reflects a broader move for the organization, from a traditional institutional model of care toward a social model rooted in people’s hopes, needs, and visions of a “life worth living” (Vancouver Coastal Health Long Term Care Design Guidelines, 2020). The following social model core values guided our research:
Our engagement process involved residents, staff, and residents’ families and support networks.
Residents: We began with a co-design workshop series to explore what a meaningful life means to them, how they can be supported in achieving it, and what barriers limit autonomy and independence. We then conducted one-on-one interviews to deepen insights into the issues they raised.
Staff: Care aides, nurses, and recreation staff participated in a co-design workshop and anonymous writting activity to share how they interpret the social model of care and what challenges they face in applying it.
Families and Support Systems: We held a virtual workshop to understand the challenges families experience in supporting their loved ones, and how they themselves might be better supported.
This project culminated in an extensive research report that blended insights from all of the RILS False Creek Community Members. Presented to RILS leadership, the report serves as a guide for the transition to supported housing in a resident-centered way and as a foundation for both long-term initiatives and immediate improvements within the residence.
