The Influence of Physical Environmental Factors on Older Adults in Residential Care Facilities in Northeast China

Abstract

Objectives: To evaluate the aspects of the objective physical environments of five residential care facilities (RCFs) for older adults and the residents’ subjective perceptions of these aspects. Background: The physical environment in RCFs impacts the health and comfort of the residents. However, the design standards for RCFs lack details which can result in insufficient living conditions. Methods: Through questionnaire surveys, older adults’ satisfaction on the degree of the light, acoustic, and thermal environment in the facilities was obtained. Indoor lighting condition was measured by an illuminance meter in lux, sound pressure level (SPL) with sound level meters in dBA, and temperature in °C with a temperature data logger, and an audiometer was used to test the hearing of the older adults. Results: A total of 480 questionnaires were obtained. Results show that (a) older adults need an appropriate light environment to avoid the negative impact of limited light, (b) poor acoustic environment could affect their mood and health, and (c) when the room temperature is within the range of 20–26 °C (68–78.8 °F), they feel most comfortable. When the appropriate temperature and humidity, balanced illumination, and SPL meet the needs of older adults, it can provide a more comfortable physical environment for them. Conclusion: Examining the interaction between the physical environmental factors that affect older adults in RCFs is important for the design of residential housing and provides more theoretical support for research on the influence of the physical environment on the quality of life of older adults.