Sense of community in housing for the elderly

The promotion of a psychological sense of community by environmental factors was investigated in this study. Psychosocial factors in high-rise and garden apartments in public housing for the elderly were compared using the Sheltered Care Environment Scale (SCES), the Sense of Community Index (SCI), and a structured interview. Residents of garden apartments were found to have a significantly greater overall sense of community than were those in high-rise apartments as determined by the SCI. Garden apartment residents also indicated greater sense of membership, a factor related to community. Significant differences in cohesion among residents in the two high-rise apartment buildings studied suggest that variables other than the physical environment may contribute to cohesive behavior. One such variable, the presence of a community leader, demands more research. Self-disclosure was found to be the possible cause of conflict among residents in the high-rises. The necessity of qualitative interviews in social research is discussed.