Department of Building and Real Estate, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong.
Research Institute for Land and Space, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong.
J Aging Soc Policy. 2024 Mar 3;36(2):241-261. doi: 10.1080/08959420.2022.2111168. Epub 2022 Aug 11.
Aging in place has become a popular social policy worldwide. This paper argues that well-being is an important outcome of aging in place, upon which older people develop autonomy and environmental proactivity. The temporal dimension of aging in place highlights development of place attachment, which includes place identity and place dependence. The study explores how older people, who live inhigh-density urban environments, make sense of well-being and place attachment by articulating their daily lives. Community dwelling older people aged 65 and above, who came from neighborhoods with high aging population and residential density but high and low median household incomes, were invited for focus group discussions. Multifaceted meanings of well-being include various dimensions that cover individual-collective and material-spiritual (psychological) construct. Meanings of place attachment include values of, bonding ties to, and memories about places. Three pathways are identified linking place attachment and multifaceted well-being. The study finds that social welfare and material richness are not the only determinants of well-being. Fulfillment of higher psychological needs, such as positive evaluation of life and self-actualization, should be emphasized by which older people can make the most of their life in old age.
就地老龄化已成为全球流行的社会政策。本文认为，幸福感是就地老龄化的一个重要结果，老年人通过幸福感发展出自主性和对环境的积极主动性。就地老龄化的时间维度强调了地方依恋的发展，包括地方认同和地方依赖。本研究通过阐述老年人的日常生活，探讨了居住在高密度城市环境中的老年人如何理解幸福感和地方依恋。研究邀请了来自老龄化人口和居住密度高但家庭收入中位数高和低的社区的 65 岁及以上的社区居住老年人参加焦点小组讨论。幸福感的多方面含义包括涵盖个体-集体和物质-精神（心理）结构的各个维度。地方依恋的含义包括对地方的价值观、纽带和记忆。确定了三条将地方依恋和多方面幸福感联系起来的途径。研究发现，社会福利和物质富裕并不是幸福感的唯一决定因素。满足更高的心理需求，如对生活的积极评价和自我实现，应该得到重视，老年人可以在老年时充分利用自己的生活。
