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6.2.4 CREATING A SENSE OF PLACE
6.2.4) CREATING A SENSE OF PLACE:
Creating a sense of home is closely related to Scanell and Gifford’s (2010) attachment theory that states that people’s personal experiences influence the emotional bond between them and places. This means that to create a sense of place, one must create an emotional bond between the person and the place. A study by Rijnaard, et al. (2016) regarding the sense of home for elderly people residing in retirement homes found that 15 factors influence the sense of home. These 15 factors are then further divided into three main themes:
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1) Psychological factors • This is the sense of acknowledgement and the preservation of the individual’s habits, values, autonomy, coping, and control.
2) Social factors • This is the social interaction between the staff, residents, family, friends and pets, and the social activities in the retirement home.
3) The built environment • This relates to private space, quasi-public space, personal belongings, technology, aesthetics, outdoor environments, and location.
By incorporating these three main themes into the design strategy of future retirement homes, a sense of home is created. This integration could greatly benefit the mental health of the elderly residing in retirement communities.
The next step was to look at precedents that address the built environment:
