SENIOR WELFARE CENTER

A Study on the Architectural Planning of Senior Welfare Center

Abstract

In this study we try to explore the concept of Senior Welfare Center in a holistic context. The main focus of the research is on Senior Welfare Center and its architectural design, social, cultural and demographic factors. The research also analyzes many aspects of Senior Welfare Center and tries to gauge its effect on architectural design, social, cultural and demographic factors.

Table of Contents

Abstract2

Introduction4

Cultural, Historical and Personal Perspectives4

Nature of Old People in United States6

Architecture Planning of the Elderly Welfare Centre6

Homelike Environment7

Images of Ageing8

Newspaper portrayals of health and illness8

Erikson's Theory9

Bronfenbrenner's Ecological System theory13

Development and Impact throughout Life15

On One Hand: Much Needed Outside Help15

On the Other: Family Can Step Up16

Bottom Line16

Self-Concept and Self Esteem: Impact in Life16

Conclusion17

References18

A Study on the Architectural Planning of Senior Welfare Center

Introduction

When discussing individuals and people who are in the old age bracket, there are several problems and issues that people face while being in that position. The paper covers facilities and entities that provide day-care facility and how it works to maintain the health conditions of old and the aged people.

Cultural, Historical and Personal Perspectives

The concept of a residence set aside solely for the elderly and infirm was unknown until the nineteenth century. Before that, it was understood that elderly people would be taken in by family once they were unable to care for themselves. Those who had no family could rely on servants if they had the financial resources, but for those who were alone and poor, the only choice was the local almshouse.

As the Industrial Revolution brought more people to cities, families spread out and often people had no local, extended family to fall back upon when they were in need. The result was a growing number of single and widowed people who had no one to take care of them in their old age. The first homes for the elderly were established by churches and women's groups, catering to widows and single women who had limited resources. Homes such as the Indigent Widows' and Single Women's Society in Philadelphia and Home for Aged Women in Boston were a far better option than an almshouse. These early homes were not open to all. Many of them required entrance fees, and some asked for certificates of good character. Requirements like these shut out the neediest, which were still relegated to the almshouse (Anderson, 2008).

By the beginning of the twentieth century, sensibilities about caring for the poor and incapacitated had begun to change. Specialized facilities were built for children, the mentally ill and younger infirm individuals. But little was done for the elderly, and they merely became a larger percentage of the almshouse population. In 1880, one third of the residents of almshouses in the United States were elderly; by 1923, two thirds were elderly.

Old people are generally considered a burden upon their relatives, their immediate family members or even their own children. In the East, usually in a full nest, old people serve as the ...