Browsing by Author "Vähämartti, Anna-Maija"

The aim of this study was to find reasons, why senior citizens have chosen the senior house Kotisatama as their primary residential area and in addition, the study also focused on outlining good- and bad points about communal living. In the theory part of this study, different stages of aging, third age and finally who the seniors are and what are the conditions for a good life in old age, are discussed. The approach to the study was qualitative and it was conducted in the form of a group interview in June 2016. Six residents of the senior house attended the study of which five were senior women and one was a senior man. The interview was recorded and then transcribed afterwards. The material was then analyzed by using material based content analysis. According to the results of the study, the interviewees had experiences of their own parents’ aging, sense of loneliness and their gradual loss of mobility. Many have found it hard to take care of their aging parents while at the same time attending to one’s own working life and they did not want it for their children. Almost all the interviewees thought that community was one of the most important things in Kotisatama and it brought a sense of security. Functionality, doing something meaningful and dining together, were all very positive factors for living. Negative factors of living included the complicated bureaucracy of the senior house. Kotisatama did not have a leader to speak of and the residents found this sometimes challenging when faced with making decisions. The fact that the building itself was still not completed didn’t sit well with the residents and they felt that repairs would have had to completed earlier. It would be interesting to return to these same questions after a few years.