Social Segregation: Barriers to Mobility in Urban Domiciliary Care

Abstract

This paper reports the conclusions from a secondary analysis of a project, utilizing survey and ethnographic methods, to study communication activities of the aged; outlines barriers to external mobility for the elderly residents of domiciliary care facilities.Our focus is on the factors which can be minimized or negated by careful planning of the neighborhood location of such facilities. Maintaining independence and privacy for older adults makes such residences a viable option for the aged with minimal loss of mobility. Careful location of such housing should be emphasized to avoid making the residents involuntary social segregates within their residences. Communication activities are also discussed.