Optimal Locations of Facilities for the Elderly in Matsumoto using a Hierarchical Generalized P-median Model

Abstract

In the present study, we search optimal locations of two kinds of facilities for physical and mental senile persons : day service centres and short stay homes. The day service centres, which provide various services for senile people in the daytime, are desiable to be located in the neighbourhood so that caretakers easily transport the senile persons to the day service centres. The short slay homes give senile persons advanced care during a short period. Unlike the day service centres, the short stay homes are less likely to be situated in the vicinity of senile persons because the senile persons do not need to commute between the short stay homes and their residence. On account of differences in the distance-elasticity of demands for day service centres and short stay homes, hierarchical generalized p-median model is suited for searching optimal locations of these facilities. In the generalized p-problem, optimal locations are identified through minimizing the total travel costs measured by elderly population and time distances in a network in Matsumoto. Both high percentage of elderly people in the total population and high rate of car owners in the total households are the reasons that Matsumoto was selected as the study area. The hierarchical generalized p-median problem is solved along two scenarios. In Scenario 1, optimal locations of five short stay homes are found amongst those of 14 day service centres. Scenario 2 is called backup system where locations of five short stay homes are selected amongst places excluding locations of 14 day service centres. Optimal locations of the day service centres derived from Scenarios 1 and 2 are regularly distributed, while those of the short stay homes are randomly distributed. Those optimal locations differ from locations of existing day service centres and short stay homes. We find shortage of those facilities in the central part of Matsumoto. The remote locations of the existing day centres and short stay home compel senile people to travel long. High land price and an image of the facilities for senile persons as a noxious facilities are considered as a reason why both day service centres and short stay homes are located in the fringe of Matsumoto.