Shopping centres are crucial to wellbeing of older people

Shopping centres may be loud, bustling, and crowded but are vital social hubs that help many older people to feel connected to their community and happy to get up in the morning.

This was a key finding in a detailed study of older people’s perception of wellness by Queensland University of Technology (QUT) PhD nursing researcher, Jenneke Foottit, who said the study demonstrated social connectedness could be a critical factor in wellness in older people because it contributes to positive social and emotional health.

“Older women use shopping centres as a way of connecting with society. They go there for social activity, to see people, they use it for safe exercise and, sometimes, they mention doing the shopping,” said Ms Foottit, from QUT’s Dementia Research and Training Centre, said.

“This has implications for the building and refurbishment of shopping centres. As our population ages, we must make sure they stay mobile by creating social environments that are safe for them to move around in. 

“We need to remember shopping centres are meeting places for older people and provide appropriate health services, spaces where they can gather socially and make sure they can accommodate walkers and have access to public transport.”

Ms Foottit said that being able to do the things they want to do was a key factor in combating loneliness.

“The women said they tried to tire themselves during the day by doing as much as they could so they would sleep at night. They talked about “5 o’clock syndrome” when they shut their door against the world as they see it as not safe or easy to go out and then they must manage their loneliness.

“While some people say they are alone but not lonely because they are happy to potter about doing craft, others find it difficult being alone in the evenings and do puzzles, read and listen to the radio.

“One thing that came out in the study was that women use the phone for social contact and long conversations whereas men use it for brief conversations to arrange meetings.

“The men actually said they saw the fact they don’t talk to other men as a drawback.”