Older People’s Usage Pattern, Satisfaction with Community Facility and Well-Being in Urban Old Districts

Abstract

Community facilities are an important element that supports older people’s daily life and promotes their well-being. However, there is a dearth of comprehensive studies on the effect of planning and design of different types of community facilities on older people’s usage patterns and satisfaction. This study aims to provide a framework to explore the relationship among the planning of community facilities, older people’s usage and satisfaction level and well-being for different types of community facilities. Both spatial analysis and questionnaire survey (n = 497) methods are employed in this study. This study finds that commercial (89.34%), municipal (83.10%) and leisure (88.13%) facilities are most commonly used by older people. This study suggests that older people’s frequency of visiting community facilities is mainly affected by the purpose of visiting a community facility. Planning and design quality of the community facility are found to be significantly associated with older people’s satisfaction level with using a community facility. In addition, older people’s higher satisfaction level and usage level of community facilities could increase their physical and psychological well-being. The findings of this study not only contribute to the knowledge gap of older people’s usage and satisfaction with using community facilities but also suggest that planners should aim toward a better distribution of community facilities to improve older adults’ well-being.

Factors Influencing the Usage Frequency of Community Elderly Care Facilities and Their Functional Spaces: A Multilevel Based Study

“…This finding is different from previous research. Firstly, satisfaction with space acceptance is crucial for the usage frequency of each functional space and the whole CECS, being the key factor in the willingness of the elderly to visit CECSs frequently [34,60]. With older ages, their tolerance for uncomfortable environments decreases [61,62], rendering the quality of indoor environments particularly crucial.…”

“…[31][32][33]. Research shows that the usage frequency of community facilities by the elderly is primarily influenced by the purpose of their visit [34]. In CECF, individual service demands also affect the frequency of facility use.…”

“…The environment and service quality significantly affect the usage frequency, with many senior service centers in urban old communities experiencing a mismatch between their functions and needs of the elderly, insufficient area, and low space utilization [41]. Studies indicate that the design quality of community facilities is closely related to older people's satisfaction degree when using the facility, and a higher satisfaction degree, together with the usage level, correlates with better physical and psychological condition of the elderly [34]. Moreover, good service quality also encourages elderly people to use the facilities, including appropriate service content, qualified management personnel, and caregivers [23].…”

The Spatial Effect of Accessibility to Public Service Facilities on Housing Prices: Highlighting the Housing Equity

“…The spatial distribution, supply and demand of urban public service facilities are vital factors that affect the residents' well-being [8][9][10]. Public services, as non-competitive public goods provided by the government, could bring economic benefits.…”