Design for Ageing-in-place: Evidence from Australia

A growing number of the Australian population choose to maintain their independence as they age, referred herein as ageing-in-place. In our study, we seek to clarify a number of factors, derived from the literature in the field, that contribute to well-being of that population in residential villages. Field observation and in-depth interviews were conducted with eleven participants living in three different residential villages in Victoria, Australia. Four factors, namely identity, competence, relatedness and autonomy were found relevant to the well-being of the participants in everyday life. Each factor was then further described in terms of the qualities of the built and social elements of the context. A framework was subsequently proposed for designers to consider when designing future experiences in these types of private housing.