Buildings of nursing or medical facilities

Abstract

The building of the nursing or medical facility includes: multiple living rooms (10A-10I); a shared passageway (131, 231) connecting the multiple living rooms (10A-10I); a toilet (30A-30G) attached to a portion of the multiple living rooms (10A-10I), allowing access from that portion of the living room without passing through the shared passageway; and a waste disposal room (40A-40E) adjacent to the toilet, allowing direct access from the toilet to the waste disposal room, which has an exit allowing access to the outside without passing through the shared passageway. This prevents the spread of pathogens or odors caused by bringing soiled clothing or other contaminated items into the shared passageway.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to buildings for nursing or medical facilities. Background Technology

[0002] In the past, nursing facilities housing multiple caregivers (elderly or disabled persons, etc.) typically had a soiled waste disposal room (laundry room) for the facility staff (caregivers, etc.) to use in order to wash the caregivers' soiled clothing (e.g., diapers) (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Such a soiled waste disposal room was usually located in each section of the facility (e.g., each floor), and soiled clothing was transported by staff from the caregivers' rooms or toilets to the soiled waste disposal room.

[0003] Existing technical documents

[0004] Patent documents

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2016-183518 (

[0002] -

[0003] ) Summary of the Invention

[0006] The problem the invention aims to solve

[0007] However, in traditional nursing facilities, when moving soiled clothing and other items to the soiled treatment room, it is necessary to pass through shared passageways such as corridors. Therefore, there is a possibility that pathogens such as bacteria, fungi, or viruses contained in the soil (such as the virus that causes COVID-19) or odors emitted by the soil may spread within the facility through the shared passageways.

[0008] Furthermore, such problems not only arise in nursing facilities, but also in medical facilities (hospitals or clinics, etc.) equipped with inpatient facilities.

[0009] The present invention was made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to prevent the spread of pathogens or odors in nursing or medical facilities caused by bringing contaminated clothing or the like into shared passageways.

[0010] Solution for solving the problem

[0011] The nursing facility or medical facility building of the present invention, completed to solve the above-mentioned problems, is characterized in that the building has: a common passageway; multiple rooms connected by the common passageway; a toilet attached to a portion of the multiple rooms, from which access to the toilet is possible without passing through the common passageway; and a waste disposal room adjacent to the toilet, from which direct access to the waste disposal room is possible, the waste disposal room having an exit through which access to the outside is possible without passing through the common passageway.

[0012] With this structure, after pre-washing soiled clothing and other items in the waste treatment room as needed, the clothing can be taken outdoors without passing through a shared passage and processed (e.g., washed or discarded) at a designated location. Furthermore, the designated location can be a waste disposal area or laundry room located outside the building, or a laundry room located inside the building.

[0013] That is, the building of the nursing facility or medical facility of the present invention also has a shared laundry room with an entrance through which it can be accessed from the outside without passing through the shared passage.

[0014] With this structure, for example, after clothes with soiled contents are pre-washed in the soil treatment room as needed, the clothes can be transported to the laundry room for washing without passing through the common passage.

[0015] The effects of the invention

[0016] As described above, buildings employing the present invention for nursing or medical facilities can prevent pathogens contained in soil attached to clothing or other contaminants, or odors emitted by such soiled items, from spreading within the facility via shared passageways. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is a floor plan of a building according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 2 This is a floor plan of the building, in which the various residential units, staff spaces, and common spaces contained in the building are marked with different shaded lines.

[0019] Figure 3 This is a three-dimensional view of the third residential unit.

[0020] Figure 4 This is a plan view showing another structural example of the building according to the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0021] The following description, with reference to the accompanying drawings, illustrates the manner in which a building (hereinafter referred to as "building") is constructed for implementing the present invention in a nursing or medical facility.

[0022] Figure 1 and Figure 2 This is a floor plan of the building according to this embodiment. Figure 2 The building contains multiple residential units 110, 120, 210, and 220, each with a different shaded line, as well as staff spaces 300 and common spaces 130 and 230.

[0023] This building is a single-story facility for the elderly or disabled, comprising a first section 100 accommodating up to 5 people, a second section 200 accommodating up to 4 people, and staff space 300. By dividing the building into two sections, smaller groups can live together in each section, thus providing care and support in a manner similar to that of a typical family.

[0024] Staff space 300 is a space used by facility staff (nursing staff, etc.) and includes kitchen / meal preparation rooms 301 and 302, office 303 and lounge 304.

[0025] The first zone 100 includes a first residential unit 110, a second residential unit 120, and a common space 130. The second zone 200 includes a third residential unit 210, a fourth residential unit 220, and a common space 230. The common spaces 130 and 230 are spaces used by both residents and staff of the care facility, and respectively include common passageways 131 and 231 connecting residential units 110 and 120 or 210 and 220, bathrooms 132 and 232, changing rooms 133 and 233, common living / dining rooms 134 and 234, and foyer 135 and 235. The common passageway 131 of the first zone 100 and the common passageway 231 of the second zone 200 are connected near the center of the building, and the boundary between the common passageways 131 and 231 is separated by a partition wall 236 with a door.

[0026] A laundry room 136 is also provided in the common space 130 of the first section 100. The laundry room 136 is equipped with a washing machine, dryer, waste washing tank and hand sink, etc. In addition, the laundry room 136 has a laundry room / common passageway door 137, which serves as a door to the wall between the laundry room 136 and the common passageway 131, and a laundry room / outdoor door 138, which serves as a door to the wall between the laundry room 136 and the outside (i.e., the outer wall 401 of the building), so that the laundry room 136 can be accessed from both the common passageway 131 side and the outdoor side.

[0027] Each residential unit 110, 120, 210, and 220 is a private space for use only by a portion of the residents of the first zone 100 or a portion of the residents of the second zone 200. In this embodiment, each residential unit 110, 120, 210, and 220 includes an anteroom 20A to 20D, multiple rooms 10A to 10I connected to the anteroom 20A to 20D, toilets 30A to 30G used by the residents of the rooms 10A to 10I, and waste washing and shower rooms (equivalent to the "waste treatment room" of this invention, hereinafter referred to as "waste washing room") 40A to 40E attached to the toilets 30A to 30G.

[0028] The following example, Residential Unit 210, illustrates the details of each part. Figure 3 This is a perspective view of the third living unit 210. This unit includes two rooms 10F and 10G for different occupants, an anteroom 20C located between rooms 10F and 10G and shared by the occupants of both rooms 10F and 10G, a toilet 30F, and a waste disposal room 40D. Hereinafter, one room in the third living unit 210 will be referred to as the first room 10F, and the other room as the second room 10G. Figure 3 In the attached figures, the reference numerals for each part of the first room 10F are marked with "F", and the reference numerals for each part of the second room 10G are marked with "G". However, unless otherwise specified, the addition of "F" and "G" to the end of the reference numerals will be omitted in the following description. The anteroom 20C, the toilet 30F, and the waste cleaning room 40D are arranged sequentially from the side of the common passage 231 towards the outside of the building. The anteroom 20C is adjacent to the common passage 231, and the waste cleaning room 40D faces the outer wall 401 of the building.

[0029] Both the first-floor (10F) and second-floor (10G) rooms include a bedroom (12) and a living room (11), separated by a sliding door (13) made of Japanese-style shoji screens or similar materials. Bedroom 12 is for sleeping, while living room 11 is for dining or relaxation. By dividing the interior spaces of each room (10F, 10G) according to their purpose, an environment that is less likely to cause confusion for residents with autism, dementia, or symptoms accompanied by mobility impairments can be created. Furthermore, by dividing each room (10F, 10G) into two parts, privacy for both the resident and their family members can be ensured when they stay overnight in room (10F, 10G). Bedroom 12 is equipped with a bed (14), and living room 11 has storage space (15) for storing the resident's personal belongings, a sink (16) for washing hands or brushing teeth, and a stove (17) for boiling water or reheating food (an IH heater or electric kettle can also be installed instead of stove 17).

[0030] By removing the aforementioned sliding door 13, each room 10F and 10G can be used as a continuous space. Thus, for example, in end-of-life care, by placing a bed 14 in the center of room 10F and 10G, care can be provided from all sides of the bed 14. Furthermore, the partition between bedroom 12 and living room 11 is not limited to the aforementioned sliding door 13; for example, a folding curtain or an openable / closable partition could also be used.

[0031] The anteroom 20C serves as a buffer zone between the shared passageway 231 and each of the individual rooms 10F and 10G. An anteroom / passageway door 21 is provided in the wall between the anteroom 20C and the shared passageway 231. The anteroom / passageway door 21 is preferably designed such that it can be retracted into the front, rear, or interior of an adjacent wall when not in use, allowing the boundary between the shared passageway 231 and the anteroom 20C to be fully open. Furthermore, an anteroom / first room door 22 is provided in the wall between the anteroom 20C and the first room 10F, an anteroom / second room door 23 is provided in the wall between the anteroom 20C and the second room 10G, and an anteroom / toilet door 24 is provided in the wall between the anteroom 20C and the toilet 30F. By providing such an anteroom 20C, occupants of the first room 10F or the second room 10G can overcome any psychological barriers when reaching the shared passageway 231 from their respective rooms 10F or 10G. Furthermore, by providing such an anteroom 20C, it also ensures that the interior of the first room 10F or the second room 10G cannot be seen from the common passageway 231 when the anteroom / passageway door 21 is opened. While it is possible to design an entrance between the anteroom and the common passageway without a door (i.e., anteroom / passageway door 21), the structure with door 21 is preferred because it allows for the closure of the living unit 210 and the common passageway 231 should an occupant in the living unit 210 have an infectious disease. Additionally, if any occupant in either room 10F or 10G has a specific infectious disease, facility staff will need to wear personal protective equipment (PPE) such as masks, aprons, and goggles when entering rooms 10F or 10G from the common space, and will need to remove the PPE when reaching the common spaces 130 or 230 from rooms 10F or 10G. In this case, the anteroom 20C can be used as a space for putting on and taking off PPE.

[0032] The toilet 30F is equipped with a toilet 31 and a washbasin 32. In this third living unit 210, the structure of two rooms 10F and 10G sharing one toilet 30F allows for a larger toilet space within a limited building space. This makes the toilet 30F a size that can be used by, for example, occupants of each room 10F and 10G while in a wheelchair.

[0033] The soiled cleaning room 40D is equipped with a shower 41 for rinsing off soil attached to the occupant's body and a soiled rinsing trough (equivalent to the "water trough" of the present invention) 42 for pre-washing soiled diapers, clothing, sheets, or rags (hereinafter referred to as "clothing, etc."). In addition, a drain outlet 43 is provided on the floor of the soiled cleaning room 40D for draining the water flowing out of the shower 41.

[0034] A toilet / sewage cleaning room door 44 is provided in the wall between the toilet 30F and the waste cleaning room 40D, and a waste cleaning room / outdoor door 45 is provided in the wall between the waste cleaning room 40D and the outside (i.e., the exterior wall 401 of the building). Furthermore, a waste cleaning room / first room door 46 is provided in the wall between the waste cleaning room 40D and the first room 10F, and a waste cleaning room / second room door 47 is provided in the wall between the waste cleaning room 40D and the second room 10G.

[0035] When a occupant entering the first room 10F or the second room 10G uses the toilet 30F, they first open the anteroom / first room door 22 or the anteroom / second room door 23 to enter the anteroom 20C, and then open the anteroom / toilet door 24 from the anteroom 20C to move to the toilet 30F. Alternatively, they can first open the soiled cleaning room / first room door 46 or the soiled cleaning room / second room door 47 to enter the soiled cleaning room 40D, and then open the toilet / soiled cleaning room door 44 from the soiled cleaning room 40D to move to the toilet 30F.

[0036] Furthermore, the living unit in this embodiment is not necessarily limited to the structure described above. For example, it may be configured without the doors 46 for the waste cleaning room / first room and 47 for the waste cleaning room / second room. Thus, there is only one entrance / exit for entering the toilet 30F from each of the rooms 10F and 10G (i.e., only the anteroom / toilet door 24). As a result, when one occupant of the first room 10F or the second room 10G enters the toilet 30F, locking the door of that entrance / exit (i.e., the anteroom / toilet door) can prevent other occupants from entering the toilet 30F. Alternatively, the structure may be additionally or alternatively configured with respect to the door 46 between the laundry room / first room and the door 47 between the laundry room / second room as follows: doors may be provided on the wall between the first room 10F and the toilet 30F and the wall between the second room 10G and the toilet 30F, so that the occupants of the first room and the second room can enter and exit the toilet 30F directly from their respective rooms (i.e., without passing through the anteroom 20C or the laundry room 40D).

[0037] In the aforementioned residential unit 210, when soiled clothing or other items are attached to the occupants, facility staff move these items to the soiled cleaning room 40D. After pre-washing in the soiled flushing tank 42 as needed, the items are moved to the laundry room 136 located in the common space 130 of the first section 100. For the clothing or other items moved to the laundry room 136, facility staff either wash them directly using the washing machine located in the laundry room 136, or collect them in designated recycling bins located in the laundry room 136 before washing them centrally.

[0038] As described above, the walls between the waste cleaning room 40D and the toilet 30F, the walls between the waste cleaning room 40D and the first room 10F, and the walls between the waste cleaning room 40D and the second room 10G each have entrances / exits (i.e., toilet / waste cleaning room door 44, waste cleaning room / first room door 46, or waste cleaning room / second room door 47), so it is possible to move directly to the waste cleaning room 40D from any of the toilet 30F, the first room 10F, or the second room 10G. Furthermore, since the wall between the waste cleaning room 40D and the outside also has an entrance / exit (i.e., waste cleaning room / outdoor door 45), facility staff can move the clothing and other items directly to the outside without using the common passageway 231, etc. Moreover, since the laundry room 136 is provided with a laundry room / outdoor door 138 as described above, the clothing and other items can be moved directly from the outside into the laundry room 136 by opening this door 138.

[0039] Furthermore, in the aforementioned living unit 210, when soiled with waste, such as when using the toilet 30F or experiencing fecal or urinary incontinence in the bedroom 12, the occupant can move to the soiling room 40D by their own strength or with the assistance of facility staff, and use the shower 41 located in the soiling room 40D to wash off the waste adhering to their body. Therefore, the occupant, even with soiled skin, can clean themselves without moving from the living unit 210 through the shared passageway 231 to the bathroom 232.

[0040] In addition, the building in this embodiment includes residential units of various structures in addition to the third residential unit 210 described above.

[0041] For example, in the fourth living unit 220, the toilet 30G is adjacent to only one room 10H and not to another room 10I, but the occupant of either room can move to the toilet 30G and the waste cleaning room 40E via the anteroom 20D. The second living unit 120 has a structure where toilets 30D and 30E are attached to two rooms 10D and 10E respectively, and a waste cleaning room 40C is attached to each of these two toilets. The first living unit 110 has toilets 30A, 30B, and 30C attached to three rooms 10A, 10B, and 10C respectively, with a waste cleaning room 40B attached to two of the toilets 30B and 30C, and a waste cleaning room 40A attached to the remaining toilet 30A. In these residential units 110, 120, and 220, similar to the third residential unit 210 mentioned above, there are doors leading to the outside in the soil washing rooms 40A, 40B, 40C, and 40E, so that clothes with soiled items can be moved to the laundry room 136 without going through the common passages 131 and 231.

[0042] As described above, a building using this embodiment can prevent pathogens and odors originating from contaminants from spreading within the building via the common passage 231.

[0043] Furthermore, in the building described in this embodiment, if any occupant of any of the rooms 10A to 10I has a specific infectious disease, the PPE used by the facility staff can be directly moved from the waste cleaning room to the outside and disposed of, thus preventing pathogens from the used PPE from spreading within the building via the shared passages 131 and 231.

[0044] The above examples illustrate the methods for implementing the present invention, but the buildings of the present invention are not limited to the above embodiments, and appropriate modifications are permitted within the scope of the spirit of the present invention.

[0045] For example, although the above embodiment is configured with one anteroom for each of two or three rooms, it is not limited to this and can also be configured with one anteroom for each of one room. Furthermore, it can be configured with one anteroom for each of four or more rooms. Alternatively, it can be configured without anterooms, allowing direct access to each room from a shared passageway.

[0046] Furthermore, although the above embodiment describes a structure in which a wall with a door is provided between the toilet and the waste cleaning room, it is not necessarily required to have a wall between them. In this case, for example, a structure could be constructed that separates the toilet and the waste cleaning room using a shower curtain or the like. Furthermore, although the above embodiment describes a structure in which both a shower and a waste flushing trough are provided in the waste cleaning room, it is also possible to provide only either a shower or a waste flushing trough in the waste cleaning room.

[0047] Furthermore, although the above embodiment is designed to allow direct access from the waste cleaning room to the outside, it is not limited to this and may also be designed to allow access from the waste cleaning room to the outside via a passage different from the common passage.

[0048] Furthermore, although the above embodiment only provides a laundry room 136 in the first zone 100, laundry rooms may also be provided in both the first zone 100 and the second zone 200. Alternatively, one laundry room may be provided in each residential unit. With such a structure, laundry generated within each residential unit can be washed in a dedicated laundry room for each residential unit, thus effectively preventing the spread of pathogens outside of that residential unit in the event of an infection outbreak in one of the residential units.

[0049] Furthermore, although in the above embodiment, clothes moved from the soil cleaning room to the outside can be washed in a laundry room located in the same building as the soil cleaning room, it is not limited to this. Clothes moved from the soil cleaning room to the outside can also be disposed of at an outdoor waste dump or washed in a laundry room located in a different building than the building where the soil cleaning room is located.

[0050] Furthermore, although the above embodiment uses a single-story building as an example, the building of the present invention can also be a building with two or more stories. In this case, for example... Figure 4The structure shown is such that an external corridor 51 is provided along the outer wall 401 of the building on a floor with two or more floors, and a door 53 is provided in the wall (i.e., the outer wall 401) between the waste cleaning room 52 and the external corridor 51, allowing direct access from the waste cleaning room 52 to the external corridor 51 (i.e., the outside). Here, the external corridor 51 is a corridor open to the outside air facing the outside of the building, and may or may not have a roof. Furthermore, after moving clothes from the waste cleaning room 52 to the external corridor 51, the clothes can be taken to a laundry room 54 located on the same floor as the waste cleaning room 52, or they can be taken to a laundry room located on another floor via an external staircase 55 attached to the external corridor 51. In either case, a door 53 is provided in the laundry room allowing access from the outside. Additionally, clothes moved to the external corridor 51 can be disposed of in an outdoor waste disposal area via the external staircase 55, or taken to a laundry room in another building for washing. Alternatively, a structure could be provided such that a terrace or balcony is provided instead of the external corridor 51, allowing facility staff to directly access the terrace or balcony (i.e., outdoors) from the waste cleaning room 52, and to move through the terrace or balcony to the laundry room 54.

[0051] Furthermore, this invention can be applied not only to buildings of nursing facilities as described in the above embodiments, but also to buildings of medical facilities equipped with inpatient facilities. In this case, the wards included in the medical facility are equivalent to the living quarters of this invention.

[0052] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures

[0053] 110, 120, 210, 220, Residential Units; 10A-10I, Rooms; 12, Bedrooms; 11, Living Room; 130, 230, Common Spaces; 131, 231, Common Passageways; 136, Laundry Room; 138, Laundry Room / Outdoor Door; 20A-20D, Antechamber; 21, Antechamber / Passage Door; 30A-30G, Toilets; 401, Exterior Wall; 40A-40E, Soil Cleaning and Shower Rooms; 41, Shower; 42, Soil Flushing Tank; 44, Toilet / Soil Cleaning Room Door; 45, Soil Cleaning Room / Outdoor Door; 46, Soil Cleaning Room / First Bedroom Door; 47, Soil Cleaning Room / Second Bedroom Door; 51, Exterior Corridor.

Claims

1. A building for a nursing or medical facility, characterized in that, The building of the nursing or medical facility has: Shared access; Multiple rooms are connected via the shared passageway; A toilet, which is attached to a portion of the multiple rooms, and can be accessed from that portion of the room without passing through the common passageway; as well as A waste treatment room, adjacent to the toilet, is accessible directly from the toilet. The waste treatment room has an exit that allows access to the outside without going through the shared passageway.

2. The building of the nursing facility or medical facility according to claim 1, characterized in that, The building of the nursing or medical facility has a shared laundry room. The shared laundry room has an entrance through which one can enter the shared laundry room from the outside without passing through the shared passage.

3. The building of the nursing facility or medical facility according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The toilet has a door at the boundary between it and the various rooms in the partial living quarters.

4. The building of a nursing or medical facility according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The waste treatment room has a door at the boundary between it and the individual rooms in the partial living quarters.

5. The building of a nursing or medical facility according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The building of the nursing or medical facility also has an anteroom located between the said partial living quarters and the said common passageway. The anteroom has a door at the boundary between it and the individual rooms in the partial living quarters.

6. The building of the nursing facility or medical facility according to claim 5, characterized in that, The anteroom is adjacent to the toilet and has a door at the boundary with the toilet.

7. The building of a nursing or medical facility according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The waste treatment room is equipped with a shower.

8. The building of a nursing or medical facility according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The waste treatment room has a water tank.

9. The building of a nursing or medical facility according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, At least some of the multiple rooms have bedrooms and living rooms separated by partitions.

10. The building of the nursing facility or medical facility according to claim 9, characterized in that, The spacer consists of a detachable sliding door, a folding curtain, or an openable and closable partition.

11. The building of a nursing facility or medical facility according to claim 9, characterized in that, The bedroom is adjacent to the waste treatment room, and there is an entrance at the boundary between the bedroom and the waste treatment room.

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