4.4 Mental and Physical Health
The location of a social welfare centre
need to be close to the nature due to the reasons of low traffic flow and noise
level. Living in such a quiet and peaceful environment will facilitate healing
for the elderly. In the case where residential area is used as the social
welfare centre, a garden should be integrated into the centre with the aim of
creating a therapeutic environment. According to Christine Joy, Royal Botanic
Garden Education Coordinator from Australia, gardens provide the perfect
learning space for children of all abilities, interests and learning styles. (Referencing) Moreover, children's
physical participation with the natural landscape elements extend to
satisfaction and the experience will remain in their memories which is the
derivative place of attachment. In brief, natural surroundings are suitable for
both the children and elderly to have a more healthy living life.
Fig : Firm RPA Tree House
Fig : Garden - Interactive and explorative
Montensorri kindergarten
Apart from that, proper nursing care is
very important and services such as body check-up and blood pressure tests have
to be done regularly to ensure the health of the residents. So, the role of
nurses, doctors and health consultants is very important in maintaining the
physical condition of the residents. Areas such as medical rooms,
rehabilitation area and meditation room can be provided for the purpose of
physical health. Varieties of activities such as yoga classes, physical
therapy, weight-lifting etc are encouraged so that the elderly will not too
dependent on wheelchair and walking sticks.
Fig : An example of a simple rehabilitation room
with full exercises equipments.
Fig : Aisle with handle for movement. Caregivers
play an important role in monitoring the elderly to ensure safety.
Additionally, the use of natural
material which is environmental friendly promotes health too as the building
blends into the nature. Living in the building made out of natural raw
materials with natural ventilation and light resource helps to improve the
quality of health. Examples include the Soe Ker Tie Orphanage Home at Thailand where
bamboos are used as a sustainable material which corresponds with the green
living environment of today. Moreover, the various interactive architectural features
in the home such as swing of bamboo and ropes outside the unit, opening in the
facade for communication purpose and the beds layout that offers both privacy
and social interaction in the home provides a fun milieu for the children to
learn and grow. Children feel attached to the space and they value it not only
for satisfaction of physical needs but for its intrinsic qualities. (Chawla,
1992 p.64)
Fig : Soe Ker Tie Orphanage Home, Thailand
Fig : Another
example of a study room which using natural plywood flooring and furniture.
Fig : An old folks home in ___ with raw materials
and colours for the bedroom.
On the other hand, designers should
design according to the users' daily routine and understand the storyline of
their living lifestyle. For example, the elderly are very forgetful and they
tend to forget where they put their belongings after they brush their teeth or
take a bath. Hence, a low multipurpose cabinet is advisable to be put near the
toilet. Correspondingly, study room for children has to be far away from the
living hall and games area to avoid noise because children need to concentrate
on studies especially during the examination period. All these solutions
suggested are good for mental health of the both generations.
4.5 Education - Positive Learning
Apart from the benefits discussed in
Chapter 4.4, living in a natural environment also endorse positive learning for
both the elderly and the children. The empirical studies by Fjortort (2004)
implicate that kindergarten or hospitals ward should be integrated with the
outdoor spaces especially greenery. The building not only acts as an
environment for learning or health recovery but also a physical setting that
stimulate positive behavior responses. Nature also encourages the development
of six senses which stimulate the growth of the young children. Variety of
activities such as gardening, exercises and many other outdoor activities give
the opportunities for the children to explore, imagine and discover. This is
good for the elderly' health as fresh air and natural sunlight also encourage
positive emotions. Consequently, the both generations can live, play and learn
together. Besides, outdoor spaces also represent freedom which the both
generations are looking forward to.
Fig : A large area of greenery where children can
have various type of activities here, an integration of old folks home and
orphanage, Pusat Jagaan Beribuan Kasih, Kajang.
In the condition where extra spaces are
given, areas such as painting studio, computer rooms, music room and library
can be provided. These areas need to be well designed with sufficient lighting in
order to create a lively, bright and fun learning environment for the children.
The division of space for the male and female children is important to ensure
safety and healthy living environment. In psychology perspective, children like
to move around in a circle. Thus, circular shape is being used in the children
space, examples are shown in Figures _ & _.
Fig : Circular shape being used in children's play
area.
Apart from that, a mini gallery to
display the children's artwork is another credit to the space, not only for the
children to have the chance to express their creativity, but also for the
visitors to enjoy the beauty of their artworks. Furthermore, a mini stage can
be provided as well if the space given is sufficient enough. Performances like
dancing, singing and story-telling as well as competitions can be organized
regularly. This is to develop their talents since young and indirectly makes
the children feel being appreciated.
Fig : Mini gallery in an orphanage
4.6 Sense of
Contribution
By integrating
old folks home together with orphanage, the both generations can contribute and
take care of each other, and this will indirectly solve the problem of lack of
sense of contribution of the elderly and to increase the sense of responsibility
for the children since small. This can be done through the cooperation in
carrying out daily activities such as preparing food, cooking and take turn to
wash the plates. They are trained to help each other in order to have a proper
meal every day. Other than a long-term training for the children in cooperation
with others, this is also an opportunity to educate them the importance to
respect to the elderly.
Fig : kitchen -
two generations preparing food
Other than that,
the cooperation of the both generations in maintaining the home's cleanliness
is another effort that can be done so that they feel that they are attached to
each other. Besides, this is to let the elderly feel that life is meaningful
and they are still useful through these daily contribution to their own living
environment. In this case, a household timetable can be set and the role of the
staffs in monitoring their progression is crucial.
Fig : two
generations maintaining the cleanliness of the house / timetable (sketches)
Also, areas such
as computer room, study room and library support the idea of contribution where
the elderly can share their old stories and experiences to the children while
the children can teach the elderly about the computer skills and latest
technology as shown in Figures _&_.
Fig : One of the elderly shares his old stories to
the child.
Fig : Elderly and child learn computer skills
together.
In a nutshell,
activities and areas where the both generations can participate together will
increase their sense of contribution to each other in order for them to have a closer relationship.
4.7 Social Participation
Exterior design of the home is significant to give the first impression
to the public. What's more, a good facade design which is welcoming can strengthen
the awareness of community towards the rights and necessaries of the abandoned
namely the old folks and the orphans in this case. It is essential to
incorporate social participation into every social welfare buildings so that
the abandoned believe that they are still being appreciated and welcome by the
society. To achieve this, a multipurpose area such as a mini hall or living
area is needed for festivals and birthday celebration between the abandoned and
the public.
