Supporting Better Care Experiences Through Multigenerational Design
With healthcare facilities now serving six generations at once, designing for a single user profile is no longer sufficient. Patients and family members of varying ages bring different physical abilities, communication preferences, and care expectations, all of which must be supported within shared environments. At the same time, healthcare workforces are themselves multigenerational, with varying needs around technology, collaboration, privacy, and work style. When done well, multigenerational design improves safety, comfort, and accessibility, strengthening the patient experience while also supporting staff engagement, satisfaction, and operational efficiency.
Generational Realities Shaping Healthcare
Healthcare environments are shaped not only by who they serve, but by who works within them. When spaces are calibrated to support generational diversity, they can better accommodate differing needs, expectations, and emotional demands across patients and care teams. Thoughtful multigenerational design strengthens job satisfaction and elevates the patient experience—an increasingly critical driver of performance and financial success for healthcare organizations.
Patient Needs Across Generations
Healthcare facilities now serve six generations, each with unique wellness needs and preferences that must be addressed through more inclusive environments and personalized services.
A Multigenerational Workforce Under Strain
Today’s healthcare workforce spans five generations with different expectations for technology, work style, and support. Higher stress and burnout among younger caregivers signal growing risks to performance and long-term workforce stability.
What's At Stake
For patients
• Experience suffers
Spaces that fail to accommodate varying expectations around comfort, amenities, and technology can leave patients feeling disconnected, unwelcome, and underserved.
• Engagement drops
Generational differences in how patients prefer to access care, including in-person and virtual touchpoints, can lead to fragmented care and lower satisfaction.
For caregivers
• Daily friction increases
Multigenerational care teams experience added strain and fatigue when environments don’t support different work styles, technology preferences, and needs for focus or collaboration.
• Engagement erodes
When environments fail to support how multigenerational teams work best, connection and morale suffer.
For organizations
• Experience scores suffer
Facilities that fail to meet generational expectations for care access risk lower patient satisfaction and loyalty, as well as declining utilization.
• Retention challenges grow
Without work environments designed for generational diversity, organizations that fail to meet evolving expectations risk disengagement, burnout, and turnover, especially as younger generations enter the workforce.
1. JLL, 2023 Patient Consumer Survey, June 2023.
2. Nurse Leader, Generational Differences in the Nursing Workforce, October 2024
3. Becker’s Hospital Review, 2024
Design Thinking:
Inclusive design that considers multiple generations ensures that every patient and accompanying family member can navigate and use community spaces comfortably, enhancing the overall care experience.
Inclusive design for multigenerational support and access
Community and social spaces
Provide tech-enabled zones and worksurfaces to support productivity, a mix of private and communal areas to accommodate different social preferences, and varied seating options to ensure comfort and accessibility for all abilities.
Hospitality Lounges
Hospitality lounges—with varied seating and surface heights to accommodate different postures, tasks, and interactions—redefine traditional healthcare dining areas and create inviting spaces where patients and families can relax, recharge, and connect.
Space Considerations
• Biophilic elements to reduce stress
• Settings support interaction or productivity
• Variety of seating to accommodate multiple postures and mobility
Featured Products: Wink, Bourne, Arwyn, Caav, Satisse, Nosh, Forge, Native
Space Considerations
• Multiple zones to accommodate solo use, family time, and casual connection
• Clear circulation and intuitive layout that support easy navigation for all ages
• Variety of seating to accommodate multiple postures and mobility
Featured Products: Teekan, Bourne, Nosh, Jude, Romy, Forge, Totem
Design Thinking:
As care preferences vary across generations, exam environments must support both in-person and virtual interactions, allowing care teams to meet patients where they are without disrupting workflows.
Environments designed for evolving care
Hybrid-ready exam rooms
Designed to support in-person visits, virtual consults, and family-inclusive conversations, these spaces accommodate generational care preferences while maintaining clinical efficiency and patient comfort.
Tele-health-ready spaces
Dedicated pods equipped for virtual visits expand access while freeing traditional consult rooms for higher demand, in-person care.
Space Considerations
• Comfortable seating that supports longer conversations and family presence
• Patient recliner offers options for seated, upright, or reclined postures during consults
• Technology placement that supports shared viewing and clear communication
Featured Products: Kindera Recliner, Collective Motion Stool, Lok Table, Satisse Chairs, Forge Casework
Space Considerations
• Height-adjustable elements accommodate a wider variety of users
• Variety of seating to accommodate multiple postures
• Mobile elements support easy space reconfiguration for when needs change
Featured Products: Proxy Sit-To-Stand, Indie Screen, Lok Table, Moto Lounge, Copilot Table, Vision Table
Design Thinking:
A multigenerational workforce benefits from environments that balance focus and collaboration, providing caregivers with options for privacy, restoration, and teamwork that support engagement and effectiveness.
Choice-driven settings to support engagement
Flexible break areas
To mitigate burnout for multigenerational staff, provide breakout spaces with a mix of private nooks and shared areas to support preferences for respite, focus, or connection.
Shared staff workspaces
Shared caregiver offices balance individual work needs with spaces for collaboration to support varying work style preferences.
Space Considerations
• Privacy without isolation to support focus, calls, or decompression
• Acoustic separation reduces noise distractions in open settings
• Seating that supports varied postures and comfort needs
Featured Products: Caav Lounge, Poet Lounge, Poet Pull-Up Table
Space Considerations
• Defined zones support focused work and collaborative discussions
• Height-adjustability and ergonomic seating accommodate a wider variety of users
• Clear organization and storage reduce visual clutter and cognitive load
Featured Products: Vision Casegoods, Anthology Table, Proxy Swivel, Arwyn Lounge
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