text: Sustaining lifelong connections | I Advance Senior Care
  by Bob Siebenaller, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C, ACHE
  A broad vision of sustainability seeks to nurture seniors' connections with their environment, community, humanity
  Thus, a broad vision for a sustainable long-term care facility goes beyond environmental design and LEED® certification-it seeks to nurture seniors' connections with their environment, community, and humanity. This vision can be realized through a variety of means: design, construction, operations, and maintenance of a facility that:
  fosters seniors' engagement in the social, cultural, and economic life of the larger community; and
  www.usgbc.org), in developing the LEED Rating Systems, has made a great contribution to the transformation of the design and construction industry. The USGBC Website states: "The LEED for Existing Buildings Rating System helps building owners and operators measure operations, improvements, and maintenance on a consistent scale, with the goal of maximizing operational efficiency while minimizing environmental impacts. LEED for Existing Buildings addresses whole-building cleaning and maintenance issues (including chemical use), recycling programs, exterior maintenance programs, and systems upgrades. It can be applied both to existing buildings seeking LEED certification for the first time and to projects previously certified under LEED for New Construction, Schools, or Core & Shell." Designing and building a LEED-certified facility that integrates high-efficiency mechanical/electrical/plumbing systems, renewable, low-VOC building materials and finishes, and other components is a worthwhile environmental goal. It also offers a return on investment in the form of a high-performance building that lowers operating costs over its own life cycle, and contributes to its users' quality of life. It is a healthier building to live and work in.
  The Green Guide for Health Care (GGHC) (www.gghc.org) has developed a "tool kit" that broadens the definition of sustainability for healthcare facilities. For example, it recommends establishing connections with the natural environment for patients, residents, visitors, and staff through creation of landscaped outdoor spaces and gardens. To develop a relationship between food service and sustainability, the GGHC suggests offering space on the grounds to host a local farmer's market-establishing an important connection with the larger community, and other alternatives that focus on food production. The USGBC is in the processs of developing LEED for Healthcare, another companion tool that can address specific healthcare issues. While both are rooted in acute care settings, there can be beneficial elements that can be applied to any healthcare setting.