A Study on the Senior Housing based on Housing Preference Characteristics

This study attempts to provide primary data on senior housing policies necessary for housing stability by determining which factors among housing preference characteristics the middle aged consider importantly in the coming aged society. Referring to the previous studies, this study drew sub-items of housing preference characteristics in the aspects of accessibility, economic feasibility, comfortableness, safety and sociality factors and analyzed the importance for each factor using analytic hierarchy process (AHP). The results showed that the experts perceive engaging in hobbies and leisure activities and socializing is important in the old age. Furthermore, with improvement of physical health due to advancement in the medical level, the seniors would also have more interest in using public facilities and leisure activities outside of their houses. On physical characteristics of housing, as people have more concern for safety when they reach their old age, the interest in disaster prevention and safety equipments would increase. Meanwhile, the elderly with not high income have burden for housing maintenance expense, the consideration for this issues would be necessary. Therefore, as people would prefer an environment where they can engage in hobbies and leisure activities and socializing in the community even when they reach their old age, it would be necessary to develop inexpensive small scale housing complex for the elderly which can provide such environment in the public aspects for housing stability of the elderly. Especially the support and assistance at the level of policies for senior welfare housing or silver town with the purpose of community formation and leisure activity engagement would be helpful for improving stability and satisfaction of housing and would widen the range of choice in housing for the elderly in the future.