Physical and emotional support of the neighborhood for older adults: A comparison of the United States and Germany

摘要

The living environment plays a critical role in healthy aging. As older adults' physical abilities decrease, they are less likely to compensate for physical barriers and their action radius decreases. Therefore, older adults strongly depend on the neighborhood to meet their needs. The neighborhood environment also has a role to play in the fulfillment of older adults' emotional needs, which are key to successful aging in place. Further, historical differences in the built environment in the United States vs. Europe may lead to different expectations of need fulfillment in different countries. The aim of this study was to shed light on older adults' (N = 577, ages 70+) living situations and their demands on the neighborhood in two countries, the United States (n = 350) and Germany (n = 227). Differences between countries were more pronounced than differences between age groups or living areas, indicating that cultural influence is a key aspect of needs assessment for neighborhood design. In line with the literature in environmental gerontology, participants' needs spanned across various dimensions related to the physical, social and psychological environment, which we categorized into global, local, and social needs. As opposed to Americans, Germans had higher expectations of their immediate neighborhood to fulfill their local (e.g., public transportation) and social needs (e.g., family nearby), but countries did not differ regarding global needs such as safety. Our findings suggest that successful aging in place can be supported by a neighborhood that takes people's cultural backgrounds into consideration when defining and meeting their needs.