AimThe aim of this study was to explore meanings embedded in corridors and how these relate to older adults' experiences of physical movement and their living environment within a residential care facility.BackgroundResidential care facilities should serve as both care environments and homes. Nevertheless, many facilities are designed like hospitals, prioritizing care over a homelike environment. Corridors are a common feature in residential care facilities' communal areas, yet little is known about older adults' experiences of these spaces.MethodsThe study had an explorative qualitative design, adopting a phenomenological hermeneutic method. Three men and three women between 81 and 96 years of age were interviewed when moving through residential care facility corridors. Two men and two women participated one follow-up interview each.ResultsThe interpretation led to the overarching theme Corridors' multifaceted role in shaping lived spaces. This theme comprises seven sub-themes which portray meanings ranging from physical aspects through to emotional impact, incentives, integrity, habituation, symbolic meanings of institutions and power, and how corridors may lack in meeting personal needs. Themes were further interpreted in relation to theories on sociomateriality, place/placelessness, and affordances.ConclusionsThe findings highlight corridors as material and symbolic spaces that influence older adults' well-being. However, there is also a risk of existential placelessness when personal connection with the environment is lacking. Incorporating personal and homelike elements that address older adults' aesthetic, social, and existential needs can soften clinical atmospheres, transforming corridors into meaningful parts of the living environment.
Elias et al. (Fri,) studied this question.