[Senior Trend] What Kind of House Will You Live In? I Want to Grow Old in My Own Home

South Korea achieved economic growth known as the ‘Miracle on the Han River.’ In line with this, apartment complexes were built to create better living environments in a planned manner. Although housing types vary, including detached houses, officetels, multi-family, and multi-household residences, more than 60% of Koreans live in apartments. This is because sharing infrastructure on a large scale while residing is efficient and convenient. Additionally, apartments are not only places for ‘living’ but also assets for ‘buying,’ making them important financial tools.

As we enter an ultra-aged society, it is necessary to create spaces suitable for the inevitable physical changes that come with aging. Since real estate is the largest asset, there is a need to focus on how to reorganize life centered around the home. Especially as time spent at home increases after retirement, it also has a significant psychological impact. Therefore, housing is a foundational issue in all areas of seniors’ lives, including economy, health, and leisure. However, senior welfare housing or facilities still account for only about 1%, leaving much responsibility to individuals.

Along with the increase in the senior population, it is important to pre-experience changes in the concept of ‘what makes a good home’ and to consider various residential forms by examining other countries that experiment with different living environments.

Overseas examples include silver towns, cohousing, and intergenerational housing. First, in the United States, ‘silver towns’?retirement communities?are well established. These are complex facilities equipped with housing and service functions necessary for the elderly. Typically, Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs) are located in areas with favorable climates and scenery, where people in their 50s to 70s can engage in lifelong education or enjoy sports such as golf.

In welfare states like the Nordic countries, ‘senior cohousing’ has taken root. This cooperative housing form consists of communal living facilities and small private homes, allowing residents to enjoy both privacy and community life simultaneously. It originated in Denmark and spread to Sweden, Norway, and other countries. It is a form of mutual support (co-care) utilizing seniors’ idle resources after retirement. Studies show that seniors living in this form tend to live about 10 years longer than those living in regular housing.

Japan has collective houses with intergenerational integration. The number of ‘intergenerational coexistence housing’ where senior and younger generations live as neighbors is increasing. This type combines senior housing and regular apartments to promote interaction between generations, which is seen as a solution to issues such as elderly loneliness and social isolation. Additionally, some senior welfare facilities operate daycare centers together, providing mutual benefits. Children learn a sense of community, and seniors gain vitality. Tokyo’s ‘Shibaura Island’ mixes senior housing and nursing homes in the center of the complex with sale and rental housing for younger generations around it, creating synergy.

In the Netherlands, there is a village called Hoge Beek where people with dementia live together. The residential facilities are designed with seven different interior styles based on the individual lives and preferences of dementia patients, allowing them to choose. About 250 caregivers, doctors, and nursing assistants reside throughout the village, but usually work as supermarket staff, hairdressers, etc., stepping in only when help is needed. The principle is to maximize dementia patients’ ability to perform daily activities while minimizing caregiver intervention.

Meanwhile, there is also the concept of Aging in Place (AIP), which means continuing to live in one’s own home. Professor Kwon Oh-jung of Konkuk University’s Department of Architecture has consistently published research on housing welfare, including a study on ‘The willingness of the elderly to age in place and the differences in related variables.’ He proposes activating ‘aging-responsive home remodeling’ to enable seniors to live as long as possible in their familiar neighborhoods and homes. Similar to Australia’s Village Hub or Boston’s Beacon Hill Village in the U.S., seniors continue living in their homes but pay annual fees and use government programs to employ staff, obtain information at hub centers, attend classes or courses, and receive help with home maintenance. This includes installing fall-prevention devices, removing door thresholds, and changing lighting to ensure safety within the home as they age.

In this way, we need to consider various housing alternatives suitable for seniors in the era of longevity. Although venture companies aiming to ‘innovate housing and spatial experiences’ are emerging, senior housing issues still focus on housing measures for high- and low-income groups, with insufficient environmental research on the middle class, which forms the largest population segment.

To ensure a sustainable life for Korean seniors, it is necessary to study and take action on what constitutes a suitable good home through further research on various cases.

Eboram, CEO of Third Age