Multigenerational Living for the Sandwich Generation

Abstract

Caring for the elderly has always been a topic of great discussion. Demographic changes in an aging society have resulted in the growing phenomenon of the Sandwich Generation. The middle-aged generation cares for their aging parents and children and is usually one of the groups providing informal care. The burden of caregiving gradually harms their health and eventually leads to a decline in the quality of care and life for both the caregiver and the elderly. In order to realize aging in place and solve the problem of insufficient nursing homes in Dutch society due to the shortage of healthcare professionals and the reduction of healthcare budgets by the government, it is necessary to focus on the needs of these informal caregivers, who are sandwiched between two generations, in addition to the elderly. Furthermore, to solve the problem of housing for the elderly, apart from intergenerational cohabitation (for people without blood ties), retirement housing, and kangaroo houses, which have been highly discussed in recent years, research has found that living together with family members who are related by blood may be one of the options.

This thesis aims to develop housing design principles that can meet the needs of caregiving and sandwich generation living together. Based on the spatial and neighborhood context of the home, the study investigates how to support the quality of life of the caregiver and the care recipient to achieve the possibility of aging in place. The research method comprises fieldwork, interviews, literature research, and case studies. The fieldwork and interviews are conducted to understand the needs of the elderly, literature research is done to obtain further objective knowledge, and case studies are used to analyze the spatial configurations, dimensions, and areas. From the results of the research methods described above, the findings show that for caregivers, adequate operating space and assistive aid help reduce the risk of injury, spatial proximity minimizes moving distances, sufficient light contributes to caregiving and health, reduced noise disturbance helps the quality of caregiver’s sleep, and good ventilation prevents deterioration of indoor air quality. The most important thing for seniors is preventing falls from prolonging mobility. Toilets must be visible and easily accessible, the threshold on the floor and the intersection of different floor materials must be no high difference, and adequate lighting and easy-to-reach light switches can reduce the risk of falls.

The study of neighborhood facilities found that easily accessible facilities (e.g., public transportation, supermarkets, a library, a community center), friendly walking spaces, and adequate seating along walking routes can increase the willingness and opportunities for seniors to socialize and thus maintain mobility. Furthermore, social interaction can improve the mental health of both target groups. In terms of facilitating social interaction, increasing the number of route intersections, atrium spaces, and communal spaces in the neighborhood is possible. Lastly, for families to live together while maintaining their independence and privacy, each person must have their room, and separate entrances and adjacent kitchens and doors can mitigate disruptions due to different routines. Apart from that, the vertical and horizontal spatial arrangement can also achieve spatial independence. Furthermore, in order to avoid being forced to move out from the original home because the space cannot meet the needs of the stage of aging, the generality of spatial adaptability provides the freedom to arrange the functions of the rooms, the flexibility can change the way the space is used through simple movable partitions and moving furniture, and finally, the elasticity can expand the size of the original dwelling unit.