Presenter Biography
Adam Pennavaria is an MPH student at the OHSU-PSU School of Public Health. His public health interests include equitable health policy and injury/violence prevention.
Program/Major
Epidemiology
Student Level
Masters
Presentation Type
Poster
Start Date
4-10-2025 1:30 PM
End Date
4-10-2025 2:45 PM
Creative Commons License or Rights Statement
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Persistent Identifier
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/43473
Subjects
Architecture, Assisted living, Alzheimer's disease, Dementia
Abstract
As the US population collectively ages, issues related to assisted living (AL) resident safety have become an increasingly pressing issue for the general public, reflected by major media reporting in the last year. The building codes that govern ALs play an important role in mitigating the risks associated with falls, wandering, and other hazards, especially for residents living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. We sought to understand how states vary in their approaches to building code regulations that might impact resident safety. We used search term-based text retrieval to identify areas of text relevant to locks, alarms, and egress restriction. A preliminary analysis of 2023 AL policy text by state suggests that a majority of states’ AL policy regulations contain some kind of reference to requirements for locks, alarms, or other type of egress restriction, with a few outliers – regulations in Nebraska, Minnesota, South Carolina, and Tennessee appear to make no mention of any of these subjects, while New Mexico, Texas, Washington, and others include multiple references to each. For instance in NM, residents must have the ability to safely leave the building, so memory care units rely on alarms and provide access to secure outdoor environments. 38 states’ regulations (75%) refer to locks, 40 states (78%) refer to alarms, and 27 states (53%) refer to limiting/restricting egress. This research has implications for understanding the relationships between building code requirements and resident safety. This research provides insight for those who seek to improve safety standards in AL communities.
Included in
Architecture Commons, Health Policy Commons, Other Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons, Policy Design, Analysis, and Evaluation Commons, Public Health Commons
Behind the Walls: The Implications of Assisted Living Building Codes on Resident Safety
As the US population collectively ages, issues related to assisted living (AL) resident safety have become an increasingly pressing issue for the general public, reflected by major media reporting in the last year. The building codes that govern ALs play an important role in mitigating the risks associated with falls, wandering, and other hazards, especially for residents living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. We sought to understand how states vary in their approaches to building code regulations that might impact resident safety. We used search term-based text retrieval to identify areas of text relevant to locks, alarms, and egress restriction. A preliminary analysis of 2023 AL policy text by state suggests that a majority of states’ AL policy regulations contain some kind of reference to requirements for locks, alarms, or other type of egress restriction, with a few outliers – regulations in Nebraska, Minnesota, South Carolina, and Tennessee appear to make no mention of any of these subjects, while New Mexico, Texas, Washington, and others include multiple references to each. For instance in NM, residents must have the ability to safely leave the building, so memory care units rely on alarms and provide access to secure outdoor environments. 38 states’ regulations (75%) refer to locks, 40 states (78%) refer to alarms, and 27 states (53%) refer to limiting/restricting egress. This research has implications for understanding the relationships between building code requirements and resident safety. This research provides insight for those who seek to improve safety standards in AL communities.
