Assisted Living Facility Case Study

1. Preamble

This is a small qualitative study carried out by the Centre for Ageing Studies (CAS), Temasek Polytechnic, to uncover the perceptions of older Singaporeans on living in a purposefully built Assisted Living Facility (ALF). This study provided insights into the lifestyle needs, preferences and motivations of potential residents and their stakeholders towards the planning and building of such a facility in Singapore.

The research team from CAS for this study comprised:

Wei Kong, MA Industrial Design, BA Hons Industrial Design
Manager/ Research & Development

Shereen Pong, MSc Ergonomics, BA Hons Industrial Design
Researcher (Principal Investigator)

Ee Sharifah Rose, BA Sociology & Communication, GradDip Gerontology
Researcher
Before embarking on such a facility can be realised, there is a need to understand the latent needs and values of older Singaporean and also identify those who are likely to move into such a facility. This study was conducted with a client to better understand older Singaporeans and their challenges and underlying needs for such a facility.

3. Methodology

A qualitative and purposeful sampling methodology was adopted to uncover perceptions and readiness of potential residents. A purposeful sample of 12 respondents were recruited based on an inclusive criteria. A topic guide was developed derived from a literature review of existing studies on elderly housing and assisted living. This topic guide was used in the semi-structured interviews that followed. Some of the salient points derived from the literature review were:

• Elders stay at their current residence if gains out-weigh losses and they relocate if losses out-weigh gains.
• Homelike characteristics for residents of an assisted living facility included having an appreciation for cleanliness, decorations, and furniture accommodations.
• Psychological characteristics included having an ability to bring personal histories into the space through beloved items and cherished
4: Requirements for an assisted living facility.

Ethics & Interviews

Respondents were briefed on the purpose of this study and signed the consent form before interviews were conducted. They were told that they can stop the interview at any time if they felt uncomfortable to go on or had decided that they did not want to continue with the study. Respondents were ensured that all information collected would remain anonymous and all contact information used during the research work would be deleted on completion of the study.

The in-depth interviews were conducted in the respondents’ homes. The purpose is to develop a deeper understanding of their daily challenges, desires and values. Conversational style semi-structured questions encourage respondents to share freely and reflectively to gain insights into their own personal construct of reality and thoughts. The interviewer facilitated the conversation without priming or leading the respondent in uncovering their thoughts on ALFs.

Recruitment and inclusion criteria

A total of 12 respondents were recruited based on the inclusion criteria below:

• Age 65 years old and above living at home
• Male or Female
• Singles, Married, Widowed,