Elderly Accessibility: Should Transport and Mobility be a Major Factor in Planning Senior Housing Facilities?

Abstract

<p>What the following study wishes to reveal to Geographers and Gerontologists, is the extent to which the location of the elderly and the location of services, are accessible to one another.</p> <p>It is the author's understanding that the relative location of elderly housing facilities, oriented towards independent forms of housing options (Group 1; Independent Living), facilitate in maintaining maximum physical community interaction and social relations.</p> <p>Concern over elderly accessibility relative to the location of elderly housing facilities within urban centres are expressed. Therefore, a comparative case study between three senior housing facilities in Hamilton Ontario was formulated to determine if one area of Hamilton is indeed more accessible in terms of services used. Downtown, East End and Mountain locational constructs were used as research sites.</p> <p>A questionnaire, the 'Elderly Accessibility Questionnaire' was developed in order to focus upon the demand side of locational accessibility issues concerning accessibility to (stereotypical) services and housing location.</p> <p>Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data.</p> <p>No specific area was determined to be more accessible to seniors, however, perceptions concerning a senior's immediate environment and neighbouring environments were observed to be distinctive between areas. Mountain seniors perceived themselves as the most accessible relative to the Downtown and East End locations.</p> <p>Various access to services was examined. Staple and stereotypical services as the grocery store, drug store, bank, doctor's office or clinic, religious centre, recreational centre, library, places to eat out, and parks were analyzed with respect to accessibility and residential location. Staple services as grocery stores and drug stores were frequented most often by means of walking, and distances to such facilities were perceived to be less than a one mile journey according to seniors. Bus transportation was also observed to be highly utilized by many seniors.</p> <p>Transportation and personal mobility of the elderly, in terms of accessibility to services used, should therefore be consciously considered, if not mandatory legislation in the planning of senior housing facilities.</p>