Residential environment of the elderly people in Spain. Towards a municipal categorization

In developed societies the population ages as a sign of demographic maturity, with biological time being associated with better living conditions and the population living longer (Sancho, 2005). One of the essential reference points of this ageing process in better conditions is having a home, as a space for physical, emotional, family and social relationships (Rojo et al., 2002), adapted to the needs and desires of the residents (Harrison, 2004; Bratt, 2002) and through which the adult finds the maximum satisfaction value for living (Phillips, 2005). In addition, the home acquires contents for the person by being situated in a larger area (district and local community), with physical and social characteristics that do not belong to their exclusive domain but which are of public or general use and necessary for maintaining the resident’s identity and well-being (Fernández-Mayoralas et al., 2004). In this context, life satisfaction is related to what is obtained from the use and enjoyment of the home and its environment, influenced by elderly people’s life cycle and the degree to which their expectations are fulfilled. This paper aims to assess elderly people’s living conditions in Spain and check whether there are any differences in the quality and satisfaction with the residential environment based on personal, residential and habitat size factors, taking the municipal area as the geographical context.