AGING IN PLACE COMMUNITIES: AN AFFORDABLE ALTERNATIVE TO POTENTIALIZE LONGEVITY

Abstract

Purpose Only 1 to 4% of elderly people have financial conditions and feel willing to move from their usual residence to a place prepared to meet the possible physical, cognitive, and social declines that may arise with aging¹. The average age of entry into assisted living is 83 years, demonstrating the resistance to change and adds more fragility to the process, since the average stay is only 1.7 years. Among the main resistance factors are the feeling of independence and fears of mistreatment, of not receiving adequate food or of being forgotten by family and friends². What elements could the real estate market implement in buildings to make them more age-friendly and adaptable to elderly people remain in their places with affordable care costs? Method Behavioral research analyzes³ combined with qualitative research on the prospects of housing on longevity and case studies of business models on 4 continents, indicate a greater sympathy for buildings that focus on housing elements (rather than treatment), on flexibility of the internal areas of the housing units between 50 and 100 m², in the support and entertainment spaces (beauty center, fitness, cafeteria, gardening, gourmet places, pet places, for example), with prompt care offered by a Home Care company located in the building or condo⁴. The costs of this basic service are shared among the residents and, in the case of increasing assistance services according to the evolution of the dependence on activities of daily living, they are contracted on demand in the pay-per-use modality, such as the would be outside the enterprise. The advantage is the apportionment of costs within the community, while in the habitual residence it would be borne individually with higher market values. If the degree of dependence evolves, both housing and home care can adapt to the needs, since the architecture and business model are compatible and prepared for this incremental evolution. It is different from a cohousing since the dwelling remains individualized. Telepresence robots can create automation scenarios by subliminally implementing telemedicine, including telemetry elements to monitor the health of residents, increasing their autonomy. Results and Discussion There are still few business models that escape the strong care institutional and assisted living character and allow people to stay in their own homes. Despite this, the Aging in Place movement gains strength as it becomes more economically accessible and more humanized by not kidnapping individuals from their original places, preserving their affective and cultural memories within the social context where they are inserted. This appeal can generate a rupture in the model of buildings and institutional businesses of assistance and demand from architecture and engineering professionals to be more sensitive to offer solutions that meet the speed of demographic pressure that societies are subject to in the coming years.

References

1.PEARCE, B. W. Senior Living Communities: operations management and marketing for assisted living, congregate, and continuing care retirement communities. 2. Ed., Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2007. 342p.

2.FEDDERSEN, E.; LÜDTKE, I. Living for the Elderly – A Design Manual, 2. Ed., Basel: Birkhäuser Verlag GmbH, 2018. 239p.

3.NERI, A. L. et al. Idosos no Brasil: vivências, desafios e expectativas na terceira idade. São Paulo: Fundação Perseu Abramo e SESC-SP, 2007. 287p.

4.MELLO, N., PORTIGLIATTI, A. Senior Living: Concept, Design & Emerging Markets. BIOENG Books, 2021. 234 p.

Keywords: aging, longevity, senior living, home care, age-friendly places

Address: Doctoral Program Business Administration in Healthcare Services, Florida Christian University, USA.

Email: norton@bioengprojetos.com.br