There is currently no long-term care facility for kūpuna (a grandparent, ancestor, and/or honored elder) on the island of Lānaʻi, forcing residents to leave the island to age in place away from their home and families.

In 2021, Lānaʻi Changes reached out to the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Social Science Research Institute (SSRI) to conduct a long-term care facility needs assessment, which was developed by Professor Priyam Das and a team of students.

The SSRI team reached out to UHCDC to support a second phase of work that included additional research on care facility types and requirements, designing for aging, and a co-design workshop that engaged caregivers, health practitioners, and residents in activities aimed at supporting site selection, programming, and site and building design.

The workshop was conceptualized as an opportunity to present relevant literature, case studies, spatial diagrams, and to offer an interactive kit of parts to help participants to collectively envision desired outcomes.

Client: Lānaʻi Changes Community Economic Development and Nonprofit Hui
Principal Investigator: Priyam Das PhD
Co-Principal Investigator: Cathi Ho Schar FAIA
Project Student Assistants: Kaylen Daquioag, Christina Holcom, Kaimana Tuazon