A study conducted by Folkhälsan Research Center and the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences at the University of Jyväskylä found that male residents of senior houses have lower physical functioning than older people living at home. Women, on the other hand, experience more loneliness.
According to the study, men living in senior houses have poorer physical functioning than their peers living at home. Women living in senior houses, on the other hand, felt lonelier. No differences were found in mental functioning and social contacts between housing types.
Senior houses are an increasingly popular form of housing for the aging population. They generally provide accessible housing for people over the age of 55 or retired individuals. Residents can purchase the services they need to make their daily lives easier, but the houses do not usually provide care or round-the-clock staff. Senior houses often organize common programs and activities for the residents. As such, house activities and peers living as neighbors can increase social participation and this way provide more social support. Thus, senior houses could support the well-being of older people and potentially alleviate the feeling of loneliness. Few studies have compared the health and functioning of senior house residents and older people living at home.
– Women in senior houses appear to be somewhat similar to older women living at home in regards of self-rated physical and mental functioning. Women may reside in senior housing for different reasons: They may not have a support network or family nearby, so a senior house may be an appealing housing option for these women. On the other hand, it is possible that people who move to a senior house have greater social needs to begin with, which may increase to feelings of loneliness if their social needs are not met. A person who enjoys solitude might not even consider moving to a senior house or a similar housing option in the first place, says doctoral candidate Anna Lahti.
– However, this study was a cross-sectional study, which means that although we found associations, we cannot establish causality, Lahti points out.
The study compared self-reported physical and mental functioning of senior house residents and older adults living at home, as well as loneliness and social contacts. The research data came from the BoAktiv- study, a research project investigating senior house residents and from the Helsinki Birth Cohort Study, an ongoing epidemiological cohort study. The survey data was collected in Folkhälsan’s senior houses in 2018 and 2020, and in the Helsinki Birth Cohort Study in 2015. Participants independently responded to an extensive questionnaire, which included e.g. the SF-36 survey measuring physical and mental functioning and health, and questions about loneliness and social contacts.
The study was conducted in Folkhälsan Research Center as a part of the Folkhälsan’s senior housing and active aging (BoAktiv)-study, a research project in collaboration with Folkhälsan Research Center, Folkhälsan Välfärd and the University of Jyväskylä. The project is lead by associate professor Mikaela von Bonsdorff. The Folkhälsan Välfärd representative is Kira Exell-Paakki. More information on the project: https://folkhalsan.fi/en/research/public-health/group-bonsdorff/
Original article:
Lahti, A.-M.; Mikkola, T.M.; Salonen, M.; Wasenius, N.; Sarvimäki, A.; Eriksson, J.G.; von Bonsdorff, M.B. Mental, Physical and Social Functioning in Independently Living Senior House Residents and Community-Dwelling Older Adults. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18, 12299. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182312299
More information:
Anna Lahti
Doctoral student
Gerontology Research Center and Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä
Folkhälsan Research Center, Helsinki
anna.lahti@folkhalsan.fi
Mikaela von Bonsdorff
Associate Professor
Gerontology Research Center and Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä
Folkhälsan Research Center, Helsinki
mikaela.vonbonsdorff@jyu.fi
