Intergenerational Reciprocity
Designing for Care in an Inclusive Environment
J.B. van de Kamp (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
B Jürgenhake – Mentor (TU Delft - Public Building and Housing Design)
A.B.J. van Deudekom – Graduation committee member (TU Delft - Architectural Engineering)
FM van Andel – Graduation committee member (TU Delft - Public Building and Housing Design)
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Abstract
The number of elderly is growing rapidly. Different societal problems that already exist will continue to grow if nothing changes in policy, like a shortage of care staff, a shortage in housing, loneliness among elderly and other problems. Facilitating intergenerational reciprocity can contribute by adressing these problems and offering a healthy future of the elderly with enough care capacity. The main question 'How can architecture support reciprocity in intergenerational relationships that include elderly?' is answered from several perspectives and translated into architectural interventions. Three different perspectives are taken into consideration, directly and indirectly leading to reciprocity: Co-care, co-dividuality and comunity. For reciprocity within professional care context (Co-care), the workload needs to be reduced to create more room for reciprocity to happen. Several architectural interventions can be done that directly or indirectly impact the workload within professional care For reciprocal releationships to happen within the personal context (Co-dividuality), elderly need to have a sense of equal value. This can be facilitated by different architectural means, some of them being applicable for all elderly. Other architectural interventions leave room for the uniqueness of each elderly. Some co-dividual aspects also impact healthy living and have a indirect impact on reciprocity. Co-munity functions as the catalyst of the other two perspectives. For reciprocity to happen within community, there needs to be social involvement. Social involvement is distinguished on three differentlevels: Bonding, bridging, and linking. All levels need different kinds of architectural interventions to facilitate reciprocity. Taking all the researched perspectives into consideration, a positive feedback loop can be seen, resulting in less need for care and improving health. All topics discussed in this research are interconnected connected and when facilitated, they offer 'growth' of every other aspect.