Elderly Chinese Couples' Primary Room Use in Urban Apartments

Abstract

This study aimed to clarify room use in the dwelling units of elderly Chinese couples in their daily lives. For this purpose, the authors used Active Radio Frequency Identification technology (Active RFID) to identify the room (Base) in which elderly Chinese couples stay for the longest duration between rising and going to bed. Findings showed that the surveyed couples could be classified into two types: i.) Those who use and share the bedroom as Base, and ii.) Those who use the living room as a shared Base in the evening and tend to use different rooms as Base during the day. Most elderly men stayed in the same Base during the day, while the elderly women used multiple rooms in the morning. The Base obtained by objective observation (Objective Base) and the Base identified by subjects (Subjective Base) were more in accord during the day. This shows that the Base in the mind of the subjects indicated the room where they spent the most time during the day. In summer, they also chose a north-facing or windowless room as Base. Additional interviews revealed that this choice was made because such rooms were cooler.