Imagining home: Community visions for aged care in emerging suburbs

A sense of home is fundamental to wellbeing in later life. Design guidelines for hospitals and aged care facilities recommend ‘cultivating a home’; however, these guidelines are based on research with English-speaking communities, limiting their applicability to diverse populations. Residents in the emerging suburbs in Melbourne’s West increasingly originate from Asia, and may have a different cultural perception of home and ageing. This knowledge gap must be addressed as growth areas plan new health and aged care infrastru cture. Using community-engaged research methods we will centre local and diverse voices in equitable design processes; exploring how residents in emerging suburbs in Melbourne’s West conceptualise 'home' now and in later life, to inform age-friendly housing, health and aged care built environments and services.