‘We are developing our bubble’: role of the built environment in supporting physical and social activities in independent-living older adults during COVID-19

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study explores how the built environment can support and challenge a bubble strategy designed to protect older adults from virus transmission while at the same time allowing them maintain their physical and social activities during COVID-19. We conducted a case study of older adults in an independent-living building and the surrounding neighborhood in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Data were collected through building and neighborhood observations, and 11 semi-structured in-depth interviews with 6 building residents and 6 stakeholders. Data were analyzed through mapping and interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Complex and nuanced relationships between human and nonhuman factors that supported and challenged the bubble are elaborated in three built environment categories. (1) ‘Building interiors’, where residents conduct routine activities and attend physical and social activities with neighbors, were central to the bubble. (2) ‘Neighborhood environments’ were extensions of the bubble that affected residents’ outdoor activities. (3) ‘Building edges’ were important for balancing residents’ needs for connecting to the world outside and protecting themselves from the virus. Communities should consider the bubble strategy combined with built environment supports to assist older adults in protecting themselves against virus transmission, and maintaining physical and social activities during the ongoing pandemic and future epidemics.