Implementation of a Sense of Home in High-Density Multicultural Singapore Nursing Homes: Challenges and Opportunities

Jung-Joo Lee, Tse Pei Ng, Ivan Kurniawan Nasution, Jia Yen Eng, Renee Desneige Christensen and John Chye Fung
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Jung-Joo Lee: College of Design and Engineering, National University of Singapore, 4 Architecture Drive, Singapore 117566, Singapore
Tse Pei Ng: College of Design and Engineering, National University of Singapore, 4 Architecture Drive, Singapore 117566, Singapore
Ivan Kurniawan Nasution: College of Design and Engineering, National University of Singapore, 4 Architecture Drive, Singapore 117566, Singapore
Jia Yen Eng: Department of Rehabilitation, National University Hospital, 5 Lower Kent Ridge Rd., Singapore 119074, Singapore
Renee Desneige Christensen: International WELL Building Institute, 220 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA
John Chye Fung: College of Design and Engineering, National University of Singapore, 4 Architecture Drive, Singapore 117566, Singapore

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 11, 1-21

Abstract: Many studies have introduced principles for creating a sense of home in nursing homes, yet they mostly feature cases from low-density developments in Western countries. This raises a question about how those principles are interpreted and implemented in other cultural contexts, especially in high-density, multicultural environments such as Singapore. This paper examines how a sense of home is implemented in Singapore nursing homes, with a specific focus on the role of the built environment. Participant observations were conducted in five nursing homes in Singapore comprising various architectural design typologies, with the focus on the residents’ everyday interactions with their built environment. The study identified the extent of the presence of a sense of home in Singapore’s nursing homes and the prevalence of an institutional care model. More specifically, the study explicates Singapore nursing home residents’ management of privacy and personalization in shared spaces, illuminates the need for holistic implementation of homelike environments integrated with building designs and care programs and reiterates the pivotal role of social relationships in fostering a sense of home for the residents in the nursing homes.

Keywords: nursing home; aging; high-density; sense of home; multicultural; culture (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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