Under what circumstances will the elderly move into a retirement home? What kind of retirement home do we need? We need to fully understand these issues in order to plan and design retirement homes.
Analysis of the motivations of the elderly to move into retirement homes
Under what circumstances will the elderly choose to move into retirement homes? Through research and analysis, we summarize the motivations of the elderly into the following four points:
- The desire to obtain timely care and medical assistance Obtaining timely care and medical assistance is the primary motivation for the elderly to move into retirement facilities. With the prevalence of children studying in other places and working in other places, there are more and more empty-nest elderly people in cities and rural areas.
As many empty-nest elderly people grow older, they feel that independent living is more difficult or they cannot take care of themselves in some aspects of their lives. They will have the idea of moving into retirement facilities so that they can get timely care and medical assistance in case of sudden illness.
In addition, among elderly couples who live separately from their children, when one of them dies and the other loses the care of life, it will also prompt the elderly to have the idea of "my partner is gone, it's boring to be alone, it's better to go to a retirement home."
- Reducing the care burden of children and other family members Reducing the care burden of the family is the second largest reason for the elderly to move into retirement homes. The long-term implementation of the one-child policy has increased the number of "4-2-1" family structures, increasing the burden on the shoulders of children born in the 1970s and 1980s: they have to work hard to raise their own children, and they have to take care of their parents alone.
This may be borne when the elderly are still healthy, but once the elderly have serious illnesses and need long-term home care, the children often have to bear tremendous pressure. Should I give up my job to take care of my parents? Who will take care of my parents? This has become a problem that many families have to face.
In order to reduce the burden of their children's care, many elderly people who are weak or unable to take care of themselves will choose to live in retirement apartments, using social services instead of family care to reduce the life pressure of their children.
- Enjoying the later years of life In the survey, a considerable number of healthy elderly people said that living in retirement apartments is an experience of starting a new life and enjoying life. On the one hand, retirement apartments are often located in the suburbs of the city, with good scenery and fresh air, and are more comfortable than living at home. On the other hand, many elderly people said that the housekeeping and catering services provided by retirement apartments can greatly reduce their housework burden, and they can finally enjoy their later years in a relaxed and comfortable manner after a lifetime of busy work.
Especially for the generation born in the 50s and 60s, their consumption concept has changed compared with the traditional elderly. They will pay more attention to the pursuit of quality of life and are willing to enjoy their old age in retirement apartments with better conditions.
- Get rid of loneliness Getting rid of loneliness
It is also the reason why many elderly people choose to live in retirement facilities, especially empty-nest elderly people and elderly people who have lost their spouses, who need to communicate with others more. In the survey, some elderly people said that living next to other elderly people can promote their communication with others and even help them gain confidence in life.
At the same time, many elderly people also hope to live in the same retirement apartment with their old classmates, old friends, and old colleagues in the past, so that they can have common topics to discuss and take care of each other and spend their old age together.
However, during the survey, we also learned that there are some factors that make the elderly worry about living in retirement apartments.
For example, some elderly people with more traditional concepts are afraid that after living in an apartment, they will give people the impression that they have been abandoned by their children. Some elderly people are also worried that the living environment of retirement apartments lacks vitality, daily life is monotonous, and activities are restricted. Some elderly people are also worried that interpersonal relationships with other elderly people are difficult to handle, and they are afraid or unwilling to be neighbors with disabled and demented elderly people.
In addition, many elderly people are worried about poor service, unpalatable food and other reasons that lead to bad mood before considering living in a retirement home.
Therefore, if the retirement home can meet the needs of the elderly in terms of nursing, medical conditions and hardware facilities, and create a warm, loving and vibrant environment, it will be more attractive to the elderly who want to live in the retirement home.
Main factors to consider when choosing a retirement home
- Location environment The elderly's requirements for the location environment are often the primary factor that determines their choice. According to the results of the survey interviews, the elderly have the following two main views on the location selection of retirement homes:
① Preferring the suburbs or cities for convenient medical treatment and visits When asked about the location conditions of the retirement facilities, many elderly people said that "it is best to be close to the hospital." Many elderly people often go to the hospital for medical treatment and medication, and they are highly dependent on convenient transportation between the retirement facilities and hospitals.
Generally speaking, most hospitals with better conditions are located in the city, so many elderly people are reluctant to choose retirement homes in the suburbs.
Some elderly people's children also believe that they cannot send their elderly to places too far away: "I am too busy at work and it is not convenient to visit." Therefore, most elderly people hope that the facilities can be within 30 minutes to 1 hour by car from the city center (here, big cities are taken as an example), which is convenient for going to hospitals that are often visited in the city and for their children to visit them frequently.
Some elderly people also said that it is acceptable for the facilities to be located in the suburbs, but they should be as close to the main traffic roads as possible to ensure convenient connection with the city.
② I like the suburbs, and good scenery and good air are ideal. A beautiful environment is a further requirement of the elderly for elderly care facilities. Enjoying old age in beautiful scenery is ideal for many elderly people.
However, most elderly care facilities in the city have limited landscape resources, and usually only in the suburbs that are slightly far from the city can there be a good environment. During the survey, a small number of elderly people did not particularly care about the distance of the elderly care apartment, saying that "good environment and good air are the most important, and it is best to have mountains and water, so that children can drive to see me."
Through the above analysis, it can be seen that convenient transportation and a beautiful environment are the main demands of the elderly for the location environment. At the same time, the type of elderly care residential products is also strongly related to the location conditions.
When the elderly are healthy, they are willing to start a new life and enjoy their old age. They can accept living in low-density elderly housing in the suburbs. When they are bedridden, they hope to be close to medical resources and children. They don't have the energy to move far away. The nursing facilities in the city are more suitable for them. Some elderly people with certain economic strength and physical care can accept the high-priced elderly apartments in the city with superior locations and complete supporting facilities.
Admission fee
Price is also one of the important factors considered by many elderly people.
In particular, some high-end elderly apartments have high admission fees and often require a large deposit or membership fee. The elderly need to consider whether they can afford the admission fee in all aspects.
① The admission funds mainly come from pensions, children and original housing. Through research, we found that the funds for the elderly to pay for the admission fees of elderly care facilities mainly come from three aspects: their own pensions or savings, children's sponsorship, and funds for renting or selling the original housing.
Due to the high price, the elderly often cannot rely on pensions unilaterally to pay for the fees of the elderly care institutions. Most elderly people need to add the support of their children and the rent of their original housing. Some elderly people simply leave the house for their children, and let the children undertake the cost of their own retirement.
②Hope the cost is within their affordability. In the survey, many elderly people said they were unwilling to use their children's money and hoped that they could afford the cost themselves. However, some high-end retirement apartments usually require a high membership fee or deposit when they move in, which the elderly sometimes cannot afford unilaterally.
Therefore, some elderly people's children will help them pay the membership fee or deposit, and the elderly will pay the monthly bed fee, meal fee, etc. with pensions and rents of rental houses. Many children also said that regarding the cost of admission, "the elderly cannot know too much, and the elderly are unwilling to spend our money."
- Medical conditions As mentioned above, the medical conditions of retirement apartments are also a key factor in the elderly's decision to move in. Many elderly people choose to move into retirement facilities because they cannot get timely care and medical assistance at home.
① Most concerned about "emergency channel"
During the survey, many elderly people repeatedly emphasized that retirement apartments should have fast and convenient emergency treatment channels, including timely detection of illness, emergency assistance, transfer to docking hospitals, etc.
This puts forward requirements for the emergency rescue system in the retirement apartment, such as the need to equip the elderly with fixed or portable call devices, the need to arrange emergency medical staff and emergency medical facilities, as well as vehicles and other equipment for emergency treatment in hospitals.
②Hope to set up departments that the elderly often visit
In terms of medical care, the elderly hope that the medical facilities in the retirement apartment can meet the needs of emergency and daily medical treatment.
If there are conditions to set up a hospital, it is hoped that several departments that the elderly often visit can be set up, including general practice, traditional Chinese medicine, minor surgery, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular, orthopedics, neurology, etc., and it is best to cooperate with major specialty hospitals to ensure a high level of medical care. At the same time, the elderly also emphasized that the medical institutions in the apartment should be included in the medical insurance system to meet the reimbursement requirements.
③Hope for a warm medical environment and personalized services
For the medical environment, many elderly people hope that the medical environment of the retirement apartment can be warmer and more homely than the hospital. For high-end products, they also hope to set up special wards (quiet and spacious, with toilets, special care and meal ordering services).
At the same time, some elderly people believe that retirement homes should also provide some personalized medical and health services, such as establishing electronic medical records for the elderly, and having special caregivers accompany them to see doctors.
- Service requirements
The service level is an important reflection of the overall quality of retirement facilities. During the survey, we found that the elderly who choose retirement facilities often pay more attention to care and services, and the continuity of good service quality is the greatest wish of the elderly for nursing services in retirement apartments.
① Nursing staff should be patient and respectful
During the survey, many elderly people and their children expressed the hope that nursing staff can have higher quality, patience, and respect for the elderly. At the same time, they hope that nursing staff and the elderly can have a certain common language and can take the initiative to talk with the elderly.
② Regular visits and inspections are very important
Many elderly people believe that 24-hour regular inspections are very important security services, and the frequency of inspections should be based on the physical condition of the elderly, "those in good health should visit less, and those in poor health should visit more." In addition to general life care, many elderly people also put forward higher service requirements for high-end nursing homes, such as nursing staff prescribing and picking up medicines and purchasing medicines on their behalf.
③ The ratio of caregivers to the elderly does not have to be completely one-to-one
In terms of the ratio of caregivers to the elderly, some elderly people with chronic diseases who need special care hope to have one-to-one care, especially many elderly people's family members hope that caregivers can accompany the elderly at night; elderly people who can take care of themselves generally prefer a free atmosphere and say that they do not need one-to-one care. There are convenient call facilities in the facilities, and they can be called whenever they need it. Some self-care elderly people also say that they like the "life secretaries" in some apartments, who can arrange activities for themselves when needed, take the initiative to provide life services, etc., instead of being with them at all times, like caregivers.
④ Provide health care services, organize more health and outing activities
During the survey, many elderly people are keen on health care, saying that they often do physical therapy and massage, and like foot therapy very much, and hope that the elderly apartment can provide health care services. At the same time, many elderly people said that "professionals are very welcome to come for rehabilitation and health guidance", and they also hope that the elderly apartment can often organize health lectures, outings and other activities to make life more colorful.
