The number of elderly single-person households is increasing as we become an aged society, thus, the problem of isolation among senior citizens is becoming increasingly serious. Accordingly, the concept of Aging in Place is being introduced to the car...
The number of elderly single-person households is increasing as we become an aged society, thus, the problem of isolation among senior citizens is becoming increasingly serious. Accordingly, the concept of Aging in Place is being introduced to the care system in Korea in accordance with the global trend. This study, finds that the core of the environment in which senior citizens can leave their homes and interact with their neighbors was the quality of the living environment and community neighborhood activities. In particular, generational exchanges within the community were judged to be instances of long-term care across all generations. In addition, the preferred space elements among the elderly were identified to present measures to create community spaces that could support them. The Dobong-gu district in Seoul, which has a high proportion of elderly population and is active in terms of village community activities, was set as a case study target and five community spaces were analyzed according to the factors of preference for the elderly. By analyzing common characteristics of spaces used by various generations, conditions were derived to activate generational exchanges, which were then analyzed by gender, obtaining the following conclusions were obtained. A total of 18 factors were found that influence elderly preferences when using community spaces; these were divided into physical and social factors. Physical factors are as follows: “within 5-10 minutes of residence,” “Contains places to spend time around the community space,” “No obstructions on the walking paths,” “A bright walking path,” “A safe environment with people nearby,” “Sunshade to shelter from rain and snow,” “Sufficient benches with backrests and funnels,” “Many trees and pleasant scenery,” “Public toilets”, “No obstructions at the entrance,” “Internal spaces are checked,” “Bright interior spaces,” “There are spaces with chairs,” and “Multiple spaces are provided.” Social elements can be summarized as follows: “Talking with peers,” “Enjoying various programs,” “Eating and dreaking cheaply,” and “Watching children play.” The spatial analysis based on the preference factors derived through the interview showed that there are the following conditions for activating generational exchanges and embracing both male and female senior citizens:
First, places should allow people to spend time in them by creating buffer zones including parks, playgrounds, store streets, outdoors shelters around community spaces, and toilets that are open around the clock. As a results, places can form that facilitate natural surveillance, which helps female senior citizen feel safe.
Second, in the process of entering community spaces, high stairs, parking lots, etc. should be avoided at the entrances to create obstacle-free environments and thus reduce fall risks. These spaces give potential users the option of whether to visit through front designs that display the interior space.
Third, the interiors of the community spaces are kept bright by locating windows of appropriate size in appropriate locations. Furthermore, standing spaces that are preferred by the elderly should be ensured, but soft seating and tables should be added in consideration of elderly women who enjoy exchanging and chatting together.
Fourth, at least one program, such as entertainment, lectures, or meals, should be provided for male seniors who have the characteristics of interacting through specific programs in community spaces. Specifically, this should be located on an open lower floor so that senior citizens can stop by such facilities frequently.
Fifth, since elderly women and men are both open to generational exchanges, there should be spaces that can be shared with people from other generations, but spaces should be divided by generations with established connection points to facilitate communication channels.