Together, Self-reliant

Abstract

This research is about the meaning of self-reliant living and what the physical environment can bring to improve this, with as main research question;
In what ways can architecture encourage elderly to become more self-reliant. The research is conducted through fieldwork observations and interviews in care home 't Kampje in Loenen aan de Vecht, as well as through literature and case studies. The anthropological research led to a conclusion that many people living in care facilities show passive behavior and are not as self-reliant as they used to be. Many of them don’t interact as much with each other and barely do something for each other. The goal of this research is to find out what it means to be self-reliant and how a person can remain like that with the help of architectural tools.

Self-reliance is about realising an acceptable level of functioning in the important areas of daily life. If necessary, by organising the right help at the moment that a decline in the performance level threatens or occurs that cannot be prevented or remedied by oneself. These important areas of life are called; ‘life domains’.
Both healthcare institutes GGD and Vilans use these domains to value their clients degree of self-reliance- and direction. The domains differ in some areas, as the domains of the GGD are used for anyone in the Netherlands, and the domains from Vilans are more tailored for elderly. The 10 domains that Vilans describe are; daytime activities, living conditions, physical functioning, mental functioning, cognitive functioning, housekeeping, general daily, social network, mobility, and the financial situation.

Each domain has certain conditions for a person to be called fully self-reliant. Most of these conditions indicate a need for independence and a safe- and healthy living environment. Architecture alone can not provide all the answers for self-reliant living, the living environment around the building plays an equal role in the degree of self-reliance for
a person. The extracted design tools for each domain show correlations between each other. Such as having places for gardening, the promotion of natural movement, the need for a diverse aged target group, homes that are compact and life-cycle proof, close proximity of shops, public transport- and other amenities, and the need for a social environment. These are the main architectural / urban strategies that can encourage elderly to become more self-reliant. These have to do mainly with being- and remaining healthy in a physical way, a mental way, and a social way.