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The use of common spaces in assisted living schemes for older persons: a comparison of somatic and dementia units

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 February 2015

MORGAN ANDERSSON ,
JAN PAULSSON ,
INGA MALMQVIST  and
GÖRAN LINDAHL
MORGAN ANDERSSON*
Affiliation:
Department of Architecture, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden.
JAN PAULSSON
Affiliation:
Department of Architecture, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden.
INGA MALMQVIST
Affiliation:
Department of Architecture, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden.
GÖRAN LINDAHL
Affiliation:
Department of Construction Management, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden.
*
Address for correspondence: Morgan Andersson, Department of Architecture, Chalmers University of Technology, S-412 96 Gothenburg, Sweden E-mail: morgan.andersson@chalmers.se
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Abstract

This study explores how common spaces in assisted living schemes for older persons are used by the residents. Observation studies, group interviews with staff and individual interviews with residents, relatives, architects and key stakeholders in the context of Swedish elder-care were conducted. Common spaces are the major location for in-house social interaction on the units. The results show a higher presence on the dementia units, compared to the somatic units. No significant correlation was found between the residents' mobility limitations and their degree of presence in the common spaces. The results also suggest a contradiction between the staff's intentions to provide a social context and the capabilities of the residents. Although common spaces are not used much between meals, the residents stress their importance for social interaction, suggesting that common spaces have important qualitative aspects, rather than quantitative. The results also show that few of the residents used the common spaces together with their relatives. The increasing use of assistive technology creates a shortage of space, suggesting a conflict between the efforts to create a home-like environment and the use of assistive technology.

Keywords

assisted livingcommon spacesbuildings in usesocial interactionhomelikenessmixed methods
Type
Articles
Information
Ageing & Society , Volume 36 , Issue 4 , April 2016 , pp. 837 - 859
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2015 

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