HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	26
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2007		H.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

REQUESTING THE HAWAII STATE COUNCIL OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS TO PROMOTE AWARENESS OF FAMILY CAREGIVING NEEDS IN THE DESIGN OF NEW RESIDENCES.

     WHEREAS, family caregiving has always been a universal experience of all ethnicities, lifestyles, and income levels; and

     WHEREAS, due to a shortage of care providers in Hawaii, family caregiving has become a critical element of our health and long-term care system; and

     WHEREAS, the need for personal care assistance due to physical, sensory, cognitive, and self-care disabilities increases with age; and

     WHEREAS, by 2020, more than one in four individuals are expected to be sixty years of age or older; and

     WHEREAS, as Hawaii's population ages, many more families will be providing higher levels of long-term care to frail and disabled older adults at home; and

     WHEREAS, the design of a residence can enhance or impede the independence and mobility of its occupants as they age; and

     WHEREAS, the design of a residence can also enhance or impede a family caregiver's capacity to provide assistance to frail and disabled older adults at home; and

     WHEREAS, the National Academy of Science has recommended that professional training in architecture include information on the range of capabilities and limitations of the aging population so that these factors can be incorporated into designs; and

     WHEREAS, certain physical attributes of housing can support therapeutic activities and aging-in-place, such as the basic partitioning of the building; and

     WHEREAS, the Hawaii State Council of the American Institute of Architects should promote awareness of family caregiving needs in the design of new residences; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fourth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2007, the Senate concurring, that the Hawaii State Council of the American Institute of Architects is requested to promote awareness of family caregiving needs in the design of new residences; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the President of the Hawaii State Council of the American Institute of Architects; and the Dean of the University of Hawaii at Manoa, School of Architecture.

Report Title:

Family Caregiving; Design of New Residences