A safe work environment and a good ageing-in-place. Observations and floorplan analyses in residential caregiving

Research Project, 2016 –

The aim of this study is to investigate the relation between the physical environment for a safe working environment for home- and healthcare staff in ordinary housing, and the possibilities for ageing-in-place for the residents. The study is built on results from two previous studies:

Andersson, M., Granath, K., Nylander, O. (2021). Aging-in-Place: Residents' Attitudes and Floor Plan Potential in Apartment Buildings From 1990 to 2015. HERD, 14(4):211-226. DOI: 10.1177/19375867211016342

Pettersson, C., Malmqvist, I., Gromark, S., & Wijk, H. (2019). Study Protocol: The Physical Environment and Home Healthcare Services : The development and Content of a Study Protocol to Explore Enablers and Barriers for the delivery of Home Healthcare Services. Nordic Journal of Architectural Research, 31(2), 105-122.

The participants in the 2019 study were recruited from different areas in Gothenburg, Sweden. Data were gathered by observations of working situations among home- and health-care staff in 20 housing units, concerning strategies for providing care in residents´ home and how inadequate space and fittings leads to difficulties giving the best care. An analysis of the spatial configurations was then made according to bedroom capacity, spatial proximity, and functional autonomy.

The findings show how the staff develop strategies for caregiving in various spatial configurations. We show how the rooms are placed in relation to each other may facilitate or complicate the work. The analysis of the spatial configurations confirms that the spatial configuration, in combination with the fittings, determine both the prerequisites for a safe working environment and the possibilities for ageing-in-place for the residents.