The Role of Architectural Design in Enhancing Place Attachment for Older Adults in Retirement Communities

<p>New Zealand, like many other countries, is experiencing a significant change in its population. According to Statistics New Zealand (2015), the number of people aged 65 and over (65+) is on the rise, having doubled since 1980, and the number is likely to double again by 2036 (Statistics New Zealand, 2013). Retirement villages are a relatively new residential-type that caters for this ageing population. Demand for this form of housing by a small but increasing number is influenced by the growth in the number of people living beyond retirement age and because of a lack of other appropriate alternatives. Relocating to such housing requires many residents to adjust to an entirely new environment and lifestyle. Place attachment is understood to support successful adjustment to a new condition, aiding older adults to age contentedly in their new surroundings and as a result, age in place. This research highlights the relationships between architectural features and people’s sense of place attachment, arguing that place and space are important variables for how older adults feel about ageing in a retirement village. The key questions in this research are: What are the design features in planned retirement villages that can enhance the satisfaction of residents, the sense of place they feel and their attachment to it? Finding the answers to these questions requires understanding how a sense of place attachment develops, the degree to which each causal factor affects this sense, and also the effects between factors. A total of 22 residents of a recently completed retirement village in Wellington, all aged 65+, were recruited through purposive and snowballing sampling. Data were collected through a mixed-methods approach using photovoice and semi-structured interviews. The aim was to explore at two scales, those of the home and of the neighbourhood, the features of a physical environment that older adults consider important for enhancing place attachment and facilitating ageing in place. The findings reveal that themes such as age-friendly design and autonomy related to the functionality of space (place dependence) were important in enhancing older adults attachment to place. Findings from this research also show that having an open/semi-open layout of internal space, large windows and plenty of sunlight, accessible large closet and storage space, shared/public green space and accessible and age-friendly design of entry, bathroom and kitchen area are features most participants found to be important in raising their sense of attachment to where they live. This research suggests that retirement villages could be an option for older adults to age in place and to ensure that they can develop a sense of attachment it is important to hear their voice and engage potential users at an early stage in the design process. The outcomes of this study could aid older adults when looking for a suitable retirement village or even alternative housing. They could also serve other researchers in the fields of gerontology, architecture and interior design to address the gap in the literature as to which physical features lead to enhancement of place attachment for the older generation.</p>

The Role of Architectural Design in Enhancing Place Attachment for Older Adults in Retirement Communities

<p>New Zealand, like many other countries, is experiencing a significant change in its population. According to Statistics New Zealand (2015), the number of people aged 65 and over (65+) is on the rise, having doubled since 1980, and the number is likely to double again by 2036 (Statistics New Zealand, 2013). Retirement villages are a relatively new residential-type that caters for this ageing population. Demand for this form of housing by a small but increasing number is influenced by the growth in the number of people living beyond retirement age and because of a lack of other appropriate alternatives. Relocating to such housing requires many residents to adjust to an entirely new environment and lifestyle. Place attachment is understood to support successful adjustment to a new condition, aiding older adults to age contentedly in their new surroundings and as a result, age in place. This research highlights the relationships between architectural features and people’s sense of place attachment, arguing that place and space are important variables for how older adults feel about ageing in a retirement village. The key questions in this research are: What are the design features in planned retirement villages that can enhance the satisfaction of residents, the sense of place they feel and their attachment to it? Finding the answers to these questions requires understanding how a sense of place attachment develops, the degree to which each causal factor affects this sense, and also the effects between factors. A total of 22 residents of a recently completed retirement village in Wellington, all aged 65+, were recruited through purposive and snowballing sampling. Data were collected through a mixed-methods approach using photovoice and semi-structured interviews. The aim was to explore at two scales, those of the home and of the neighbourhood, the features of a physical environment that older adults consider important for enhancing place attachment and facilitating ageing in place. The findings reveal that themes such as age-friendly design and autonomy related to the functionality of space (place dependence) were important in enhancing older adults attachment to place. Findings from this research also show that having an open/semi-open layout of internal space, large windows and plenty of sunlight, accessible large closet and storage space, shared/public green space and accessible and age-friendly design of entry, bathroom and kitchen area are features most participants found to be important in raising their sense of attachment to where they live. This research suggests that retirement villages could be an option for older adults to age in place and to ensure that they can develop a sense of attachment it is important to hear their voice and engage potential users at an early stage in the design process. The outcomes of this study could aid older adults when looking for a suitable retirement village or even alternative housing. They could also serve other researchers in the fields of gerontology, architecture and interior design to address the gap in the literature as to which physical features lead to enhancement of place attachment for the older generation.</p>

Understanding Spatial Distribution of Retirement Villages: An Analysis of the Greater Brisbane Region

The nature of the increasingly ageing populations of developed countries places residential issues of these populations at the heart of urban policy. Retirement villages as housing options for older adults in Australia has been growing steadily in recent years; however, there have been a dearth of geographical studies looking into the distribution of existing retirement villages at the regional level. This study aims to reveal the geographical distributions and cluster patterns of retirement villages in the Greater Brisbane Region of Australia to better understand and serve the living requirements of current and potential retirement village residents. The geovisualization method was adopted to visually explore the distribution patterns of retirement villages. The Global Moran’s I and Local Moran’s I measures were employed to analyze the spatial correlation and the clusters of retirement villages in the study region. The study revealed that distribution of retirement villages was not random (z-score = 7.11; p < 0.001), but clustered in nature and included hotspot patterns, especially along the coastline and Brisbane River areas. Moreover, for-profit and not-for-profit retirement villages have different distribution patterns and adopted significantly different tenure agreements. In the study region, the spatial distribution of retirement villages aligns with the aggregation trend of older residents. The findings of this study disclosed the spatial distribution patterns of retirement villages and will provide developers and policymakers with geographically referenced data for the choice of new development sites to meet the market demand of potential customers, forming aged-friendly development strategies, and eventually leading to improved quality of life for older Australians.

Learning from the experience and effectiveness of retirement village and extra care housing responses to the COVID-19 pandemic

Purpose This paper aims to describe the RE-COV study and to summarise its findings. It focuses particularly on the implications of lessons learned for national, operational and building design policy and practice. Design/methodology/approach Invitations to take part in a RE-COV study survey were emailed to the operators of 270 retirement villages and older people’s extra care housing schemes in England which were known to the Elderly Accommodation Counsel. Completed questionnaires were returned from 38 operators, online or electronically, between December 2020 and February 2021. Findings Survey findings evidenced the breadth and depth of the operators’ responses, the effects these had on residents’ lives and worthwhile changes which could be made. Outcomes demonstrated included higher levels of protection for residents from the COVID-19 virus compared to older people living in the general community, and high levels of residents feeling safe, supported and reassured. Practical implications The findings are used to offer evidence-based recommendations for housing operators, building designers and policymakers which could enhance resident, staff and operators’ health and well-being, both going forward and during possible future pandemics. Social implications There is evidence that retirement villages and extra care housing provided safe, resilient and supportive environments during the first year of the pandemic which were highly valued by residents. Originality/value This study addressed a knowledge gap regarding how the COVID-19 pandemic had impacted housing-with-care stakeholders, evidencing specifically how operators had responded, and what their response achieved.

Conceptualization of cultural sustainability for elderly Pondok Village (EPV)

Elderly Pondok Village (EPV) is viewed as a feasible accommodation that provides religious teaching and learning with residential facilities for ageing communities. Currently, Muslim retirees seem to prefer pondok system as one of the choices to spend their time after retirement. With the growing interest in this system, a comprehensive EPV model is crucial to meet the needs and such model will provide a dynamic environment for aging population. Many debates and issues of EPV have taken place in which issues such as lack of energy efficiency, safety, comfort, design for flexibility and social sustainability requirements were highlighted. To provide adequate, good quality accommodation, there is an urgent need for EPV to provide a living environment that fully addresses the sustainable requirements including social needs. Therefore, the aim of this review is to identify the important facilities to be included in the EPV and to check the conformity of the facilities to cultural sustainability and Islamic guidelines. This paper presents the review of findings on sustainable requirements based on synthesising sustainable pondok/retirement village model across the globe. The discussions highlighted some important considerations to include in the facilities provided for Muslim retirees. The results of the study indicated a few significant factors to consider which will foster cultural sustainability. Implementation of the suggested facilities will support the cultural sustainability according to the stipulated Islamic perspectives.

Elderly Customers’ Open Innovation on Smart Retirement Village: What They Want and What Drive Their Intention to Relocate?

The rapid growth of the ageing population has increased the attention paid towards the provision of retirement village (RV). RV is a new form of housing on the ageing landscape that provides a full range of care from independent to assisted living to meet the diverse needs of the elderly. Numerous studies conducted in the past examined factors that influence elderly intention to relocate to the RV and the intention to adopt the smart home technology. The current study focused on the intention of elderly to relocate to the smart retirement village (SRV) (i.e., RV with the smart home technology). A customer-driven open innovation survey was conducted to solicit opinions from the elderlies. This paper applied the Theory of Planned Behavior to examine such intention among the elderly in Malaysia. The types of smart home technology preferred by the elderly at the SRV were determined. The results from the multiple regression analysis (N = 305) indicated that attitudes, social norm, and perceived behavioural control contributed significantly to the elderly intention to relocate to the SRV. Further investigation revealed that 83% of the elderly choose the smart emergency contact system as the most important smart home technology to be included.

UNDERSTANDING THE DYNAMIC BEHAVIOUR OF THE AUSTRALIAN RETIREMENT VILLAGE INDUSTRY: A CAUSAL LOOP DIAGRAM

The retirement village industry in Australia has been accommodating an increasing number of residents in recent decades. However, a thorough understanding of the dynamic behaviour of the industry remains largely unknown, which prevents a better prediction of its future growth. This study incorporates system dynamics thinking into residents’ relocation decisions and aims to develop a causal loop diagram to have a full understanding of the complex interactions of variables affecting their relocation, which in turn determines the future growth pattern of the industry. Based on thematic analysis using literature review and interview data, five primary causal loops are identified, including the positive reinforcing loops of word-of-mouth effect and new-supply effect, and three negative balancing loops of the move-out effect, price effect and home-village distance effect. Of these five causal loops, the most dominant ones in determining the system behaviour are the word-of-mouth (reinforcing) and home-village distance (balancing) effects. The causal loop diagram provides a better understanding of the underlying structure of the retirement village industry and will help guide the industry and policy makers in formulating strategies to create a more ageing-friendly living environment for seniors in Australia.