Environment and quality of life: a reaction from the perspective of social science and environmental design.

While it is a truism that nursing homes should reflect a homelike setting, relatively few nursing homes have been successful in avoiding a hospital-like image. In this reaction to the paper by Dr. Kayser-Jones, I have reviewed major theoretical models of how environment influences adaptation in the aged and presented some ways in which the nursing home environment can be modified. The delivery of long-term care services to the aged can be improved by addressing their physical, social, and psychological needs through better architectural and interior design, as well as efforts on the part of nursing professionals to ensure adequate patient care. Nurses can play a key role in the design process by assisting architects in programming buildings that meet the basic requirements for good patient care.