A study on the lifestyle characteristics of older adults in Datong city and their implications for the spatial design of community-based elderly care centers

Abstract

China’s rapidly ageing population has increased demand for community-based elderly care facilities that support daily living, health promotion, social participation, and ageing in place. Yet many facilities are still designed through standardized functional templates that pay insufficient attention to local routines, cultural memory, and patterns of social interaction. This study examines how the lifestyle characteristics of older adults in Datong City, Shanxi Province, can inform the spatial design of community-based elderly care centers. An exploratory qualitative case-study approach was adopted, combining structured site surveys, non-participant behavioral observation, semi-structured interviews, and documentary analysis. The evidence was organized through thematic analysis and cross-source comparison. The findings identify six interrelated lifestyle patterns: regular and seasonally adjusted daily rhythms, preference for hot and familiar northern Shanxi foods, short-distance walking-based mobility, acquaintance-oriented social interaction, continued family and intergenerational roles, and strong attachment to local cultural memories. These patterns affect facility location, circulation, temporal use of rooms, dining and health-service provision, informal social nodes, environmental identity, and the balance between digital and human services. The study proposes seven design strategies: flexible time-sharing layouts, continuous age-friendly details, networks of informal social spaces, dining spaces that combine nutrition and social support, integrated rehabilitation and health-promotion areas, contemporary translation of local culture, and dual-track smart and human service interfaces. The results provide a localized design framework for community-based elderly care facilities in Datong and comparable medium-sized northern Chinese cities.

Keywords: Datong City, older adults’ lifestyles, community-based elderly care centers, interior design, ageing in place, regional adaptation.

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