Change in Lifestyle of Aged Single-Person Households With Housing Unit Renovation of Two Rooms and Kitchen to One Room and Dining Kitchen in Ube City

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to reveal what changes have taken place in the lifestyle of aged single-person households after their dwellings were renovated from 2K to 1DK. The changes indicate that 80% of the dwellers chose to have their meals in the DK room and sleep in the traditional Japanese-style 6 mat tatami room (about 9.96 m 2). Due to preferences developed over a long lifetime , and due to the DK room's usually being small, many single living elders use tables only without accompanying chairs in the DK in their daily lives. On the other hand, 20% of the single living elders mainly live in the Japanese-style room without using the DK room at all. The research also shows that the single elderly people disposed of part of the furniture possessed by the family when they moved to the renovated house. The single elders who spend their daily lives mainly in one room tend to place a lot furniture in the other room. This is a remarkable feature witnessed in the survey.