Grönska - Lunds Tekniska Högskola

8
SUMMAR Y
In the present study we have investigated how elderly people in
Lund, Sweden, experience and value their outdoor environment. How
much time do they spend outdoors, when, and why? What is satisfactory
in the outdoor environrnent, and what improvements could be
made? For several reasons outdoor activity is supposed to be benevolent
to health. We have searched the literature in order to find
support for or against various specific health effects. We have
included the health aspect in our own studies. The report also
includes a comparison beteeen the outdoor activities of elderly
persons in Sweden and Turkey. This part is based on an earlier
study that has been replicated in Turkey.
The general issue at stake was the significance of the outdoor
environrnent when people get old. The outdoor environrnent should
provide both for activation and control. Activation requires a
certain degree of variation and uncertainty in the environment. On
the other hand, control means familiarity, and an opportunity for
personal choice and influence. To the elderly person, control also
means being able to .cope and to partake of the environrnent without
fear.
By means of a theoretical model it was possible to reformulate
the problem area in terms of more specific questions. What demands
do older people put on a good outdoor environrnent? What are the
elderly's attitudes to outdoor activities and preventive health
care? What i& the significance of the environmnent for continued
residence in old age? How can leneliness and isolation be counteracted
by means of employing the elderly's own resources? Do traditions
and childhood .experiences influence outdoor activities in old
age? How are outdoor activities influenced by seasons and access to
a green environrnent? Is there a need for a more secure outdoor
environrnent?
The results give an idea about the places elderly people visit
and the outdoor activities they undertake, The mediating effects
of the elderly's personal resources and their social situation are
illurninated, as well as the influence of aging and of the outdoor
climate. There is· a definite positive relationship between outdoor
activities and good health. In old age many become lonely and
isolated in their homes. Ill health and impaired mobility make i t
dfficult to go out. This is further accentuated by fear and lack of
motivation. A large group of elderly persons find it very difficult
to go out. These persons prefer to remain in their own neighbourhood.
Especially to this group, but also to all elderly persons,
parks and other green areas become very important. The results of
the study suggest how the urban environment may be planned and
improved in order to meet the outdoor needs of older people.