What did residents value about a communal senior housing complex?

Details

New senior housing models have rapidly appeared in different parts of the world, suggesting that existing housing and care models are not meeting the hopes and needs of current and new generations of older people.

This qualitative study focused on one type of communal senior housing complex in a mid-sized town in Central Finland. The complex was designed with accessible, low-maintenance apartments and common spaces, close to easily accessible green spaces, amenities, services and public transport. It had a part-time community coordinator. The minimum age for residents was 55.

The data consisted of 36 qualitative interviews with residents aged 66–93, including 21 women and 15 men, conducted from November 2018 to February 2019. The semi-structured interviews were recorded and transcribed. The analysis examined how aspects of the built, natural and social environment appeared in residents’ descriptions of daily life. The theoretical framework drew on environmental and geographic gerontology. Researchers used positioning analysis, a form of discourse analysis.

The study found that the complex fulfilled its promise of an accessible physical and social environment that encouraged and enabled physical activity and independence while also providing social activities and a sense of safety. In these respects, it offered an environment supporting well-being and healthy aging. However, residents differed in what the complex meant to them. Some saw it first and foremost as a social place offering opportunities for social contact and activities. For others, the most important features were the maintenance-free apartments and outdoor areas.

The authors leave open the question of how social practices, including government policies and market systems, can support the development of different kinds of senior housing that are affordable and accessible to all.