Steve Leone and Damian Huneycutt Quoted in Healthcare Design Magazine – How Best Practices from the Senior Living Sector Can Help Acute Care Designers Prepare For Aging Patient Population

In a March 2026 article in Healthcare Design Magazine, Spiezle Architectural Group Principals Steve Leone and Damian Huneycutt discuss how senior living design best practices can guide acute care facilities in preparing for an unprecedented surge in aging patients, drawing on Spiezle’s cross-sector expertise in both healthcare and senior living design.

With baby boomers projected to account for one in five Americans by 2030 and hospitalization rates among older adults already three times those of younger patients, the article makes a case for healthcare designers to act now to create spaces that better serve aging populations.

“Senior living reminds us that these environments can be clinically robust while still feeling personal and patient-centered,” says Huneycutt. “They’re just in different points of their healthcare journey, so sharing ideas helps deliver a continuity of experience.”

The article highlights key design strategies Spiezle and peer firms are advancing, including accessibility beyond ADA code compliance, zero-transition flooring, biophilic materials, flexible “small household” floor plans, and residential-style staff areas that reduce the institutional feel of acute care spaces. Leone, who oversees Spiezle’s healthcare and senior living practices, notes that Spiezle designers work across both project types to cross-pollinate design thinking, a collaborative approach that is increasingly critical as the populations served by acute care and senior living converge.

“Whether you’re designing for acute care or senior living, we’re increasingly serving the same aging population,” says Huneycutt. “Working in silos offers the greatest degree for a miss, so exploring new ideas to make patients feel more at home can lead to innovation, making the environment more healing.”

Read the article in full, click here (advance to page 17).