ABSTRACT
Given longer life expectancy rates and declining fertility rates world-wide, the phenomenon of demographic transition requires the built environment to be adapted and planned for, particularly for services targeted on the elderly. Among these, it is the growth of Long-term Stay Institutions for the Elderly that is the fastest in the world. However, there is a lack of in-depth studies and evaluations of their structures, which shows the need for Ergonomics to look at these spaces in order to understand how they affect the quality of life of their residents. Thus, this study presents a survey of sheltered housing for the elderly in Brazil, an emerging country in which there is starting to be evidence that its population is living longer. This study is based on the Ergonomic Methodology of the Built Environment. Use was made of well-established ergonomic and architectural techniques to make functional and behavioral assessments in order to identify the level of users’ satisfaction and the extent to which the spaces are suitable for the activities that are offered.
