In the context of creating age-friendly communities, this paper examines the effects of neighborhood walkability and third places on older adults’ social connectedness. The subject was older adult homeowners aged sixty-five years and above in the context of American college towns. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used, controlling personal abilities and sociodemographic factors. Third places positively influenced older adults’ social support network, but it was not associated with loneliness. Objective and perceived neighborhood accessibility had no association with either social support network or loneliness in later life. Findings suggest that planners and developers should prioritize third places in designing for active living.
Purpose
Many of the existing senior living accommodation options in Malaysia are ill-suited to the needs and requirements of seniors as they age further. To establish best practice guidance to meet the housing needs for seniors, the purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of neighbourhood quality, locational and structural attributes on the likelihood of owning a retirement home among the young-old aged 60 to 74 years in Malaysia.
Design/methodology/approach
In this paper, 300 young-old retirees from Greater Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia were interviewed using purposive sampling. Only 240 were used for the analysis.
Findings
The results revealed that respondents are likely to own the retirement home which could support their overall health and well-being within a safe and supportive senior-friendly neighbourhood. Furthermore, respondents are willing to reside in the retirement home that is served with good access to amenities.
Research limitations/implications
The likelihood of young-old seniors adjusting their housing disequilibrium situation is higher as long as the right housing attributes are incorporated into the retirement home.
Practical implications
The results of this paper would be very pertinent for the development of the physical planning guidelines on settlements and facilities for the elderly in Malaysia.
Originality/value
With the change in cultural values, the increasing life expectancy in senior adult population and improved household income in Malaysia, there is great potential for purpose-built senior housing projects for seniors who need help with activities of daily living, but desire to live as independently as possible.
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