ELDERLY SPATIAL IDEALS AND COMFORT IN DOMESTIC SPACE USE: A STUDY OF BUGIS VERNACULAR HOUSING

Abstract

With increasing age, elderly individuals experience declines in physical and cognitive
functions, requiring adaptations in their daily activities and living environments. In
rural contexts, elderly residents often maintain strong adherence to cultural values
and traditional housing practices, adjusting their activities and bodily abilities rather
than modifying the spatial configuration of their homes. One group that continues to
inhabit vernacular houses is the Bugis community in Tolitoli, Central Sulawesi,
Indonesia. This study aims to examine the relationship between the health conditions
of rural elderly and their spatial ideals and comfort in using domestic spaces within
Bugis vernacular houses. The research employed a mixed-method approach,
combining qualitative methods (participant observation and in-depth interviews) and
quantitative methods (questionnaire survey analyzed through cross-tabulation and
Fisher's Exact Test). The qualitative findings reveal that elderly residents hold strong
spatial ideals rooted in cultural familiarity, which inform how they adapt to domestic
spaces amid declining health conditions. Rather than modifying spatial
configurations, elderly residents adjust their daily activities in alignment with their
existing spatial ideals and accumulated spatial knowledge. Three aspects of spatial
quality were identified as relevant to this adaptive process: personal safety, sensory
comfort, and functionalities of space. Personal safety is especially significant for
elderly with cognitive impairments, while sensory comfort, particularly tactile
perception, plays a key role for those with visual impairments. Functionalities of
space support elderly independence by enabling mobility and daily activity
management within the domestic environment. The quantitative findings further
indicate that health conditions relate significantly to two spatial comfort aspects:
room size and floor surface texture, both corresponding to personal safety and
sensory comfort needs. Overall, the findings suggest that the health conditions of rural
elderly relate to their spatial ideals and comfort in nuanced ways, shaped by long
term cultural familiarity with the vernacular dwelling environment.