With aging society of china, number of “empty nesters elderly” in rural areas is increasing rapidly, and the growth rate of aging in rural areas is much higher than that in urban areas. It is estimated that the aging rate in rural areas of Shanxi Province will reach 35.94％ by 2030. It will be twice than city18.64％. This paper is based on the previous paper, compared with the urban center investigated rural areas in Xi’an and Shanxi of China by field studies. It is to clarify and evaluate living environment, especially space formation of dwelling for elderly people in Lan Tian Prefecture of Xi’an(4 village (community)).
The major points this paper clarifies are as follows.
1. In village, such as foods, medical treatment, and shopping facilities are not available. This tendency is remarkable in mountainous areas particularly. Residents' committees, clinics, home care centers for the elderly, “rural happiness home”, open spaces, health appliances, etc. are set up in each village or communities. However, it can be seen that the bias location, and hardly used as it is located distance. In addition, elderly people living in mountainous and hilly areas with low independence are difficult to use.
2. The first problem of the elderly is physical health care, and nearly 80% of the elderly suffer from chronic illness. Subsequently, economic and living environment problems are great, but the economic problem is that the income in rural areas is extremely low even with the addition of welfare subsidies. Three times the difference in income between the community and the countryside. As for the living problems, the lack of heating, toilets and bathrooms and the aging of the facilities are major. It was also found that about one-third of the fourth life supporters were worried.
3. Such as lack of heating, toilets, and bathrooms etc. are basic problems, it was found that the distinctive type of housing in this area is a problem for the elderly. In “Separate type”, “Attached type”, it is needed to go outside once when to go to other rooms such as a kitchen, and washing room etc. because it is separated from the main house. There are many inconvenient in the house such as moving line for the elderly. For this reason, some cases where kitchens are set up in living room or bedroom. This is a characteristic of rural areas that is not seen in the central area of the previous article. There are also problems such as the inconvenience of heating and cooking in a traditional stove, steps between indoors and outdoors, or rooms, and stairs. Although the above problems are not felt inconvenient under healthy situations, but it has been found that troubles and inconvenience will increase especially for elderly people who are empty-nested or those who are independence II and III.
Above all, it is clear that different problems in the living environment of the elderly in countryside of Xi'an. It is a future task to clarify the actual conditions of the living environment, administrative services and facilities for the elderly.
