A Study of Behavior in the Residential Bathroom Environment from the Perspective of the Elderly

• Main Authors: Ya-Fen Fan, 范雅棻
• Other Authors: Ming-Shih Chen
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2006
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/01667770624777431488

碩士 === 東海大學 === 工業設計學系 === 94 === We can obviously find out the acting range of the elderly is move to the residence house gradually from the tendency of the nuclear family and the change of elders’ living style. The physical and metal functions degenerate rapidly on the period of agedness. For the reason, the elders’ living quality counts on the safety and convenience of the environment around house. To bath and toilet are the essential to human being. Bathroom is the most dangerous place for the elderly in the house. Bathrooms in Taiwan are almost using the same place with toilet, and this lead the elderly to unexpected danger. This research bases on the users’ behavior to discuss the relationships between the elderly, bathroom, and the equipments in the bathroom. Through the interview and observe on the scene and the questionnaires to understand the problems the elders have faced while they are using the bathrooms. This research has collected the other related papers and focused on of the space usage of the elders in the bathroom to be the basic data. From the questionnaires to investigate the elder’s problems, also find out their needs and expectations. After evaluating the results of interviews and questionnaires, we found that the acting problems are related with the physical degenerations. The most conspicuous illness that influences the elders’ behaviors in bathroom is arthritis. According the cross analysis that indicate the different living styles are conspicuous influence the equipments around the space. Different living styles influence the size of bathrooms and also the equipments inside. Most of the elderly thought that their bathrooms are too small to fit their expectations. Inappropriate arrangement of the equipments influences the activities and moving path inside the bathroom. In addition, the elders are expecting more safety and assistant equipment design and they are less accepting new devices in the improvement consciousness investigation. Nowadays the space and equipment in bathroom and toilet are mostly manufactured by standard forms, but not often adjusted or design for different personal users. From the viewpoints of the elderly, bathrooms should enhance more safety plans, adjustable space and assistant design. The elderly will feel safer when they are already used to something, so as the points of design, we can provide a more adjustable using style from evaluating the differences between real surroundings and users’ needs by users' consciousness.