Locations that Support Social Activity Participation of the Aging Population

Abstract

Social activities are an important aspect of health and quality of life of the aging population. They are key elements in the prevention of loneliness. In order to create living environments that stimulate older adults to engage in social activities, more insight is needed in the social activity patterns of the aging population. This study therefore analyzes the heterogeneity in older adults’ preferences for different social activity location types and the relationship between these preferences and personal and mobility characteristics. This is done using a latent class multinomial logit model based on two-day diary data collected in 2014 in Noord-Limburg in the Netherlands among 213 respondents aged 65 or over. The results show that three latent classes can be identified among the respondents who recorded social activities in the diary: a group that mainly socializes at home, a group that mainly socializes at a community center and a group that is more likely to socialize at public ‘third’ places. The respondents who did not record any interactions during the two days, are considered as a separate segment. Relationships between segment membership and personal and mobility characteristics were tested using cross-tabulations with chi-square tests and analyses of variance. The results suggest that both personal and mobility characteristics play an important role in social activity patterns of older adults.

Housing Stakeholder Preferences for the “Soft” Features of Sustainable and Healthy Housing Design in the UK

“…While housing and neighbourhood design itself cannot develop social networks, provision of certain features (e.g., seating areas, playgrounds, picnic sites, communal gardens) can facilitate the growth of social interactions and support existing ones. Such features can therefore not only contribute to quality of life and well-being, particularly for the less mobile societal groups such as the elderly [ 29 ], but also promote the growth of social capital, thereby supporting the development of strong and sustainable communities [ 30 ].…”

FRED: Exergame to Prevent Dependence and Functional Deterioration Associated with Ageing. A Pilot Three-Week Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

“…The FRED game was designed as a type of exergame [ 10 ], in which the first author of this article, who is a physiotherapist, designed the contents of the game while at the same time taking into account both specific movements for developing physical exercise and the devising of different scenarios in which these movements could be developed [ 28 , 29 ]. These scenarios are developed in a logical order to ensure that the individuals who perform them find a meaning to the activity.…”

Identifying the Impacts of Social, Economic, and Environmental Factors on Population Aging in the Yangtze River Delta Using the Geographical Detector Technique

“…Its pattern has vital theoretical and practical significance in urban and rural China.Scholars began to study population aging from the fields of sociology, demography, economics, and psychology during the 1980s. They focused on the influence of aging on the economy and society [5-7] and old-age security countermeasures [8] from the macro level, and the psychological needs of the elderly [9,10], social support [11,12], and behavioral activities [13,14] from the micro level. As an academic discipline, geographical gerontology is different from the above disciplines.…”