Senior-friendly accommodations: A phenomenological study of the lived experiences of older adults with functional limitations in senior living facilities

Abstract

Long-term growth rates have indicated that the aging population calls for the need for senior-friendly accommodations for older adults that have grown older in various ways from their predecessors. This study explores the lived experiences of older adults with functional limitations living in senior living facilities and the impact on their social, physical, and psychosocial well-being. Through one-on-one, semi-structured, in-depth interviews, data was collected from 14 women and 14 men who have lived in a senior living facility in three urban locations, aged between 60 and 95. The study employed the Modified Stevick-Colaizzi-Keen analysis method guided by Moustakas’ transcendental phenomenology. This paper identified five main themes associated with older adults with functional limitations in senior living facilities: fear, loneliness, living with functional limitations, satisfaction with the living environment, and social connection. The findings provide valuable implications for academicians, policy-makers, healthcare facilitators, senior accommodations or operators, and government agencies.