It's definitely the latter; it's more a historical precedent. If you look at the best practices right now, there are some great organizations in B.C. that have incorporated good design. You don't see those long dead-end hallways. You don't see walking paths that terminate at a door. You do see things like visual way-finding cues like memento boxes outside of people's rooms. You see doors painted different colours so a resident knows which room is theirs. You see walking paths. You see access to activities that you can do spontaneously to combat issues of boredom.
On June 4th, 2019. See this statement in context.