1. Introduction
Harmonious care home, which is often called “Toyama-style day care service, ” is a developing welfare system started in Toyama Prefecture in 2003, which offers appropriate services for everyone in a home-like atmosphere, regardless of their age or disabilities. This study aims to compare the interannual changes of users' activities and postures in two Toyama-style day care service centers which had been researched 3 years ago in order to find out what kind of space is important and needed in harmonious care home to accommodate diverse and aging users.
2. Methods
In our last research, 4 centers (NI, FU, SI and OR) were selected through questionnaires and interview and our survey found that elderly is the main user in SI and OR. In this research therefore, NI and FU were selected to be compared with the old data. We observed, using the same method to the old research, the activity place and posture of users during day- care time by plotting users' and staff's locations, postures and behaviors on floor plan.
3. Results and Discussions
Because there are more chairs and sofas in common space than in room space, users stay longer in common space. Users have lunch and tea in common space. While they play music, use computer and take a nap in room space. As there were more activities needing to sit on chairs, tables and beds in room space, so that fewer users stay by sitting on the flooring/carpet. Since there were beds in room space in 2010, users stay longer than lying in the common space. But in 2013, users stay lying in the common space become longer. One supposed reason is a new user who couldn't keep her posture was playing with towel lying on the carpet all day.
Many of elderly used to sit on the floor before, however in 2013 they sit on the chair/wheelchair or lie down on the bed/carpet more. Because of accommodating not only new elderly with less healthy condition, but also existing users getting weaker every year, sitting on the floor is getting harder to be observed.
The combination of chair, sitting floor and lying floor is good for diverse users, however the main furniture for these combinations is tend to be sofas/chairs or carpets/rugs. This combination should be easily changed in accordance with users' conditions.
4. Conclusions
Findings are as follows:
1) Not only new users like severely handicapped, babies or small kids, but also existing users getting weaker should be considered.
2) Common space is most important because furniture layout is easily customized for accepting each posture according to users' conditions. Room space layout belongs to the characteristics of rooms.
3) It is needed to layout furniture like bed, tatami mat or carpet for severely handicapped who would like to share the common space with other users. As Toyama-style is supposed to accept divers users while most of them are elderly now, this flexibility found in this study should be shared among all Toyama-style centers.
