Understanding the Ageing Customer and Designing Services for Ageing in Place

Many developed countries are experiencing a marked rise in the ageing population, with a growing proportion of adults entering older age groups. Whilst the literature has focused on the design, management, and quality of services within senior living facilities, less attention has been paid to services for ageing in one’s home and community. This article seeks to add understanding of the needs of older customers and how services and service processes can be designed to support their independent living and ageing in place. These services can enable older customers who feel challenged by daily tasks to continue to live in the community as opposed to in senior facilities. However, the literature on the designing of services has failed to keep pace with the growing trend of older customers and there is currently a deficiency of literature focusing on services designed for ageing in place. Therefore, this article addresses this lacuna through a thematic review of the literature in the field of service design, gerontology, and hospitality. The article reconceptualises hospitality in both hospitality and non-hospitality services and offers a theoretical and practical perspective into service design through the hospitality and human-design lens to enable older customers to age in place.