Promoting spiritual support and improving the safety of mosque structures according to the needs of the elderly: A study of action research

Mosques are one of the religious places that attend to this place can meet the psychological needs of the elderly spiritually and religiously. Moreover, social participation is one of the things that can be effective in improving their quality of life and satisfaction. The aim of this action research study was to promote spiritual support and improve the safety of the structure of mosques under the conditions of the elderly.

This two-cycle action research was conducted based on Coughlan and Coughlan’s (2002) method with the cooperation of stakeholders. To get the initial data and the list of problems from the checklist, the physical structure of the mosque was checked, and the information was completed by interviewing the elderly people praying in the mosque (Mosalla) of Gonabad. In different stages of the cycles, which included planning, implementing, evaluating and repeating the stages in two cycles, it was done with the participation of all members involved in the project.

The findings of the study showed that the mosque building in the entrances, stairs, ramps, ablutions, toilets and other parts needed to be repaired and rebuilt under the conditions of the elderly and able-bodied people. During two-cycle action research, the reconstructions related to the entrance parts, doors and stairs were made successfully, and no structural measures were taken for the reconstructions related to other parts including toilets, except for the sanitary reconstructions. The two-cycle action research was fully implemented, and evaluation was done after the corrections.

The reconstructions made based on the action research method could improve the safety condition of the structure of the mosque (Mosalla) and as a result increase the satisfaction of the elderly.