Psychotherapeutic Living Space for the Elderly: The Psychological Basis

The article is devoted to the problem of designing a psychologically comfortable living environment for seniors. On the example of foreign studies, the necessity of an integrated and scientifically grounded approach to formation of supportive home and institutional environments for elderly people is argued. The basic principles of creation of a healthy physical environment that stimulates social activity and emotional and physical comfort for the elderly are provided: providing sensory comfort, taking into account the activity and preferences of older people, accessibility, plasticity and security of the environment, balance of personal and common spaces, "home design" and a number of others. Modern architectural and design solutions and their therapeutic effect on psychological health of the elderly are considered.

Keywords: elderly people, psychological wellbeing, psychologically comfortable environment, environmental design, institutional environment, environmental resources

Column: Theoretical research

DOI: https://doi.org/10.17759/cpse.2017060401

For Reference

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The study was supported by the Russian Science Foundation (project No 14-18-02163).

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