A Study on the Effect of Sense of IBASHO on Life Satisfaction in the Elderly : Home and The Third Place

The purpose of this study is to examines the effect of the elderly's place experience on the satisfaction of life in old age. We measured the ‘Sense of IBASHO’ by the elderly at home and in the ‘third place’ with a Korean version of the sense of IBASHO scale(K-SIS). Sense of IBASHO includes complex elements and it means ‘a place where you can feel like yourself'. The subjects were elderly people over the age of 65 years living in Seoul and Gyeonggi-do. Results Showed that the Sense of IBASHO had a positive effect on the life-satisfaction of the elderly. First, physical and social factors in the Sense of IBASHO experienced at home are factors that increase life-satisfaction and lower negative emotions. Second, the higher the physical aspect of Sense of IBASHO in the third place, the higher the life-satisfaction and positive emotion. In addition, the higher the personal aspect of Sense of IBASHO, the lower the negative emotion and the higher the self-worth perception. In conclusion, in order to increase the life-satisfaction of the elderly, it is important to consider the difference between home and the third place to obtain the Sense of IBASHO. Based on the results, we discussed the policies and practical approaches of social welfare.