ABSTRACT
Space plays an important role in an older person’s life. The phenomenon of shrinking physical and social space as people age is well known. Older people are often prisoners in their own homes and are socially isolated. Moreover, as a society, we do not organise space for older people very effectively. For example, houses are typically designed for younger people who lack serious disabilities. As people get older their own homes become less and less user-friendly and consequently they use less space. Later, if people move to residential care, their world is even more constricted, perhaps even to a single room or a single bed. In contrast, an active young grandson will have use of a comparatively vast physical and social space. Health professionals involved in the care of older people should be more proactive in the planning, reorganising and rearranging of the space around the older person. This will enable the young people of today to continue to live in the safety, comfort and privacy of their homes, when they become old or disabled.
