A Multidisciplinary Exploratory Approach for Investigating the Experience of Older Adults Attending Hospital Services
The public areas of the hospital built environment have hardly been investigated for their age-friendliness.
Objective:This exploratory, multidisciplinary pilot study investigates the relationship between the physical environment and design of hospital spaces and older people’s outpatient experience.
Methods:Sixteen participants were recruited from a geriatric Outpatient Clinic at a metropolitan public hospital in Australia. Participants were engaged in a concurrent mixed-method approach, comprising a comprehensive geriatric survey, walking observation, semi-structured interview and an independent architectural audit.
Results:Several elements arising from the hospital environment were identified as facilitators and barriers for its utilization and intrinsically related to participants’ physical capacity.
Discussion:Age-friendly hospital design needs to consider strategies to remove barriers for older adults of different capacities, thus promoting healthy aging.