A Study of the Spatial Composition and Departmental Area Distribution in Geriatric Hospital

노인전문병원의 공간구성과 부문별 면적배분에 관한 연구

As the population of the elderly increases drastically year by year in Korea, the more welfare centers for them are greatly needed. There are, however, a small number of public geriatric hospitals currently available. And a limited number of private-founded geriatric centers are under construction throughout the country. And the systematic standards for the spacial composition and departmental area distribution for them are not satisfactorily set up yet. The analytical study of the space composition and area distribution of the hospitals in question shows that publicly-shared spaces, such as day-room and lobby, are much more useful for their communications than private spaces, such as shut-in living rooms. It also shows that in-yards or in-gardens which are located in the center of the wards are very helpful for their comfortable long-term hospitalization. The shared spaces are recommended to be in sight of and within earshot of their caretakers. In relation with out-patient departments, the programs for the local elderly residents, such as the day-care center and recreation facilities are recommended to be prepared for their physical care and emotional treatment at a time by municipal welfare centers rather than by private institutions. The analytic study carried out in terms of departmental area distributions reveals that the areas for the wards are generally wider and areas for out-patient/or diagnosis departments are relatively narrower than those in the general hospitals. These area distributions seem to have come from the considerations of their relatively long-term staying in the centers than general hospitals and their mental stability as well.