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Paralyzed architect explains why hospital rooms don't work
Posted by
JLoFriday, December 16, 2011
Spoken from an iconic American architect, Michael Graves explains simply why hospital rooms and facilities don't work. Living with paralysis, Graves has become frustrated with the design of hospitals facilities that force patients to be dependent. Graves is determined to fix these poorly designed areas.
The biggest aggravation, he said, was that the rehabilitation center was built for people in wheelchairs.
"When I went through some of the struggles that were caused by my room, I lost the self empowerment that I was supposedly gaining during the day in rehabilitation," said Graves. "I was no longer self-reliant, but dependent. This makes you feel terrible as a patient... as a paraplegic. You're feeling at the will of others."
He stayed at one glossy, new hospital with a four-story glass atrium and expansive lobbies. But that hospital's patient rooms were so small that those in wheelchairs and hospital employees had a hard time maneuvering.
"All the money had been spent on the public spaces," he said. "The public spaces were glorious. I got to the patient room, these were the smallest patient rooms ever known to man."
Channeling all his frustration, Graves continued to sketch.
Find out what else Graves said and watch the video.
Janelle
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