Shelly COHEN, Tel Aviv University, Israel
Yael ALLWEIL, Tel Aviv University, Israel
The presentation investigates aging-in-place among seniors who live with caretakers, particularly domestic workers who immigrate to Israel from poorer countries. Since the late 1980s, the intersection of global social processes—such as an aging population, work immigration, and a shift of welfare policy towards community care—have culminated in a new form of residence in Israeli society: Seniors share their residential space with their caregivers. Looking at daily practices of seniors and caregivers who share their residential space, we study how architectural design affects their wellbeing in the private sphere. While architects planned the residence buildings decades ago, in the transition to domestic care the moral agency moved from the architect—who planned the building meant for families with children—to the elderly who make new use of the spaces as a space for caregiving.
Following Michel de Certeau (1990), our research observes everyday behaviors and creative tactics through which seniors and caregivers re-appropriate shared living space. Most seniors house caretakers in a room within the bedroom area of the apartment, for instance, while others use a separate room by the entrance. These practices point to what Iris Marion Young (2005) recognizes as positive values of home: Privacy, Individuation, and Preservation -a term referring to home-making practices. Our research focuses on the ways in which housing environments take part in producing home values and conditions of care in everyday life.
Mots clés : Architecture|Home-making |Care|Seniors|Home
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