Rethinking Eldercare Spaces : Towards an Architecture of Inclusion, Purpose and Dignity.

Abstract

Traditionally, the elderly resided at the center of family and community life, which provided them with care and a sense of belonging. However, with sociocultural changes, these traditional care systems gradually shifted towards institutional eldercare.  In Karachi, institutional eldercare facilities have experienced an increase from 3 to 20 in the past 20 years, with an average annual growth rate of approximately 10.4%. As a result, many older adults have been relocated into isolated care facilities where they experience feelings of confinement, emotional discomfort, and loss of purpose, lowering life satisfaction and well-being. The research explores how the social stigma associated with eldercare shelters affects the well-being of older adults, as eldercare shifts from family to institutions. The study investigates how spatial design can play a role in addressing the emotional and social needs of the elderly, which are often neglected, and how human-centered design can alleviate feelings of existential homelessness. This study suggests eldercare institutions, not as sterile and isolated, but as participatory environments to help elders feel valued, connected, and at home.  The methodology employed was a hybrid consisting of surveys on perceptions of institutional eldercare, where 87% of respondents believed that Old Age Homes were places of sickness and abandonment. Semi-structured interviews with elderly residents of care homes in Karachi to understand their lived experiences and empirical observations with an exploratory framework. On-the-ground research findings in eldercare institutions indicated that 53% of elders feel emotionally abandoned and depressed in efficiency-focused institutions lacking sensory comfort, 60% felt unfamiliar with their environments, and 87% found volunteer interaction important for emotional well-being, indicating a need for more engaging, humane environments. Case studies of successful international eldercare models have been analyzed to identify age-inclusive design strategies. In conclusion, this research calls for a new way of thinking about eldercare in Pakistan, recognizing elders as active and valued members of our society. By working with the elderly, community, and policymakers, the perception of eldercare institutions as merely places for the abandoned, but can be reimagined as places of dignified living with purpose and inclusion. If the needs of our elderly in care homes are not addressed, it will contribute to the stigma of these facilities as places of dying for the forgotten, leaving future generations without models of compassionate eldercare.Keywords:  Keywords: Eldercare Architecture, Human-Centered Design, Sense of Belonging and Purpose, Community Integration, Age-Inclusive Design, Dignity in Care