• Korean Institute of Interior Design Journal
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.33-41
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• 2013

It is not surprising that senior centers are widely used nationwide as Korea becomes an aging society. This study attempts to figure out senior citizens' needs and evaluations of senior centers in terms of characteristics of their usage and spatial composition. A face to face interview using a questionnaire was conducted on 255 senior citizens who has been using senior centers located in Jangyu new city apartment housing complex. The questionnaire is composed of questions asking characteristics of their usage, evaluations of spatial composition, and respondents' demographic data. Findings are: First, it is found that many respondents visit senior centers everyday and spend 4 to 6 hours a day. Their main activities are meeting friends, taking hobbies, and dining. That is, senior centers play a pivotal role in daily lives of senior citizens. Such characteristics should be taken into account in space design when planning to build a future senior center; Second, it is found that senior centers play a role of auxiliary space for building their sense of belonging and familarity. It is found that furnitures in senior centers are worn out and safety measures are not sufficiently considered; Third, it is found that they highly evaluate flexible spacial composition that could be partitioned or extended depending on occasions even though they prefer independent space; Fourth, it is found that kitchen facilities are not large enough considering the fact that more that half of the respondents have their lunches in senior centers. Even though they do not cook for themselves kitchen space should be large enough for preparing meals simultaneously for a large number people.

• Korean Institute of Interior Design Journal
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• v.15 no.5 s.58
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• pp.209-220
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• 2006

The goal to establish one multipurpose senior center in one district of Seoul city has been nearly completed. However, since it is behind the schedule by about 6 years, nearly all senior centers are saturated currently. Therefore, additional foundation plan of senior centers is in progress. Also, the main function of the center has changed from health and leisure to various welfare programs that the elderly living in a community need. In order to supplement these problems, many existing senior centers are using center to the most through addition and change of rooms. To establish the direction of spatial plan at establishing senior centers according to the regional characteristics, 20 cases of Seoul multipurpose senior centers in operation were site surveyed and the results of spatial features by types established and changed corresponding to each condition were suggested as follows: 1. The types were classified according to the shape of floor plan, sectional planning, entry traffic line, linkage with attached facilities and addition method etc. by the characteristics of the elderly in multipurpose senior centers, program operation, linkage of spatial composition by the function, positional relation between centers, management and operation method, and center complication method etc. and the respective features were suggested. 2. By analyzing the gross floor area and the area of each room of senior centers, the features of area by types and the features of area by each detailed center were suggested.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Rural Architecture
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.23-34
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• 2017

The purpose of this paper is to suggest the preliminary data for the improvement of the senior centers' indoor environment and the upcoming progress located in rural areas. In wanju county, 81.8% of seniors were enrolled in senior centers, and used the facility everyday. Also, most of the users tended to use the facilities between 12 a.m. and 6 p.m. The majority of users had lunch at the senior centers. The facilities of most senior centers were in poor condition, and some had their restroom outdoor. Also, most senior centers are exposed to high concentrations of carbon dioxide during winter. During this season, the thermal environment in the restroom was bad. However, the users' level of the facilities' satisfaction was positive. Senior centers have been operating the facilities with difficulties, due to the low financial support from the local autonomous organization. The indoor temperature in most centers, especially, was above $30^{\circ}C$ during summer on account of lack of funding for airconditioning. Therefore, it could be recommended that the local autonomous entity start regular check-ups and repairs for the poor indoor environment and facilities, with more financial support and active supervision of the management.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Rural Architecture
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.27-34
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• 2021

The senior welfare centers should provide integrated welfare services to the elderly whose needs are in change. So this paper tried to find a direction for improvement by identifying the spatial organization of the centers which are in Yeosu, Suncheon and Gwangyang. Classification of spaces of senior welfare center followed the guidelines 2020 for senior welfare center from Ministry of Health and Welfare which are consultation, medical rehabilitation, day or short-term protection, social education, home welfare, employment, welfare and public relations and PR planning and by adding management and public space. The above factors are invested and analyzed. The results of the survey and analysis of seven senior welfare centers are as follows. First, in the survey, the spatial organization of the senior welfare centers surveyed showed that the larger the size is, the dominantly lager the social education space is. Second, the space for day or short-term care, and employment is less than 1% of the total area, and most senior welfare centers do not have a basic space for this. Third, the space related to home welfare and counseling is very small, and more than half of the senior welfare centers do not have space related to it.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.244-250
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• 2012

Objectives: The purpose of the study was to examine the relationships among the psychological, social, and environmental factors influencing the utilization of senior centers among older adults in Korea. Methods: A questionnaire survey was administered to two types of older adults who lived in Seoul, Korea: 262 older adults who used senior centers (3 places) and 156 older adults who did not use senior centers. Results: Our results showed clearly that the utilization of the senior centers in Korea is affected by higher self-efficacy (odds ratio [OR], 6.08; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.31 to 12.32), higher perceived benefits (OR, 1.71; 95% CI, 1.16 to 4.36), lower perceived barriers (OR, 6.43; 95% CI, 3.07 to 11.45), higher family support (OR, 4.21; 95% CI, 2.02 to 8.77), and higher support from friends (OR, 4.08; 95% CI, 2.38 to 7.81). The results also showed that participants whose total travel time was 15 to 29 minutes (OR, 2.84; 95% CI, 1.21 to 3.64) or less than 14 minutes (OR, 4.68; 95% CI, 3.41 to 8.41) were more likely to use a senior center than those who had to travel more than 30 minutes. Conclusions: This study showed that the utilization of senior centers in Korea is affected by psychological, social, and environmental factors, specifically by self-efficacy, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, social support, convenience of transportation, and total travel time to the senior centers. The effects of longer-term utilization of the senior centers by non-users on health-related outcomes in a large population warrant attention.

• Journal of the Korean housing association
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.87-99
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• 2010

The aim of this study is to evaluate interior environmental affordance for senior centers, to understand users' satisfaction with the facilities of senior centers, and to determine whether users have different levels of satisfaction with the facilities, according to their suitability to interior environmental affordance of facilities. This study will be used for planning the basic materials of the interior environmental design for senior center facilities and for developing ways to improve interior environments in order for them to be conveniently used. In studying a method, we conducted an observatory check to evaluate interior environment affordance, targeting five senior center facilities and their users located in G Metropolitan city. A questionnaire survey was then conducted to examine senior center users' satisfaction with facilities. This study investigated the suitability of center interior environments on the basis of the tools for interior environmental affordance. As a result of the study, users of the senior centers who are unsuitable to interior environmental affordance, have a tendency to be more dissatisfied with the facilities than the users of the senior centers who are suitable to interior environmental affordance

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Rural Architecture
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.121-128
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• 2015

The elderly rate in South Korea in 2013 is over 12%. Especially, the elderly rate in rural area is 36%, i.e., in rural area, one of three is people aged 65 and over. Senior community project in rural that is being promoted by the government. This project is to improve the quality of life health and welfare services for the elderly in rural Area. This paper investigates cases used as living space by interview and remodeling senior centers (village community center) for the elders living alone in rural areas. In Gimje two the nation's first senior centers were remodeled in 2006 (for both the village community center) and were begun to use these as group homes. Evaluation was a success. Since then, these were increased by approximately 20 centers per year by year and are currently 108 centers at the end of 2011. In Chungcheongnam-do, a pilot project has been begun for communal living by remodeling the senior center (for both the village community center) and elderly housing. Municipalities are similar in their business (is mostly). Senior community center projects can proceed smoothly in the direction of some of the following tips and suggestions to promote. Senior community center should be expanded for 'private room type'. Government must support the operating costs. It will increase employment in rural areas. Senior community center should be 'Home Atmosphere'.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.349-361
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• 2018

Purpose: This ethnography was performed to explore patterns and meanings of healthy life among aged women using senior centers. Methods: The informants were 21 individuals aged 65 years and older at 2 community-based senior centers. Data were collected from iterative fieldwork through in-depth interviews and participant observations and analyzed using text analysis and taxonomic methods developed by Spradley. Field notes were used with follow-up interviews and dialogue between authors to enhance interpretation. Results: Patterns of healthy life among aged women using senior centers were categorized by age groups within the context of the four cultural elements of taking care of the body, relationality, temporality, and spatiality: active and passive control, maintenance of interdependence and individuality, expansion and maintenance of the daily routine, unity of peer relations and sustenance of family relations, spending time productively and tediously, and complementary and alternative space of the family relations. Conclusion: The informants in this study demonstrated healthy life by maintaining and strengthening continuous relationships developed in the senior centers without being isolated from the family and society. Patterns of their healthy life differed across age groups within the socio-cultural context. Therefore, interventions should be tailored to address age groups and community needs.

• Journal of the Korean housing association
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.19-29
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• 2014

The study is aimed to suggest user-oriented improvement strategies for spatial plan of senior centers that provide the elderly with leisure and welfare functions for in rural areas. Five counties with the highest ratio of the elderly of 65 or over were selected from Gyeongsangbuk-do rural areas. The study classified the senior centers into 5 types depending on their floor plan, conducted individual interviews on the representatives and users of the centers using open-end questions through one-day observation on the spot, and performed actual measurement of the floor and analysis of current use. Based on above research, the result was drawn by physical characteristics, the current use, and requirements. The study is intended to serve as preliminary data for future plan of senior centers in rural areas.

• Journal of the Korean housing association
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.31-43
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• 2016

The purpose of this paper is to gather information and opinions to better guide the direction for implementing improvements of the senior centers' indoor environments located in Jeonju residential areas, by surveying the users about the level of satisfaction and analyzing the result in relation to the current situation. Senior centers located in Jeonju residential areas were operating the facilities with low financial support from the local autonomous entity. According to the results of the survey, most of the users tend to use the facilities between 12p.m. to 6p.m., and the majority have lunch at the senior centers. Most of the senior centers already have cooking facilities, without a dining room, except one place, and even the facilities they have are very poor. In a thermal environment area, the temperature is mostly above in summer or below in winter the appropriate temperature, especially the temperature of the restroom of all senior centers are below $20^{\circ}C$ in winter. The density of carbon dioxide is above average in most indoor areas. However, the users' level of facilities' satisfaction was positive. To improve the seniors' quality of life, the local autonomous entity has to start regular check-ups and repair of the poor indoor environment and facilities, with more financial support and active supervision by senior center the management.