Examining the relationship between cognitive maps in presence and perception of the elderly from the architectural space (case example: Kahrizak nursing home)

As the age increases, the power and ability of the elderly to recognize the architectural spaces and related internal or external areas decreases, and on the one hand, this point increases their dependence on others and reduces their self-confidence, and in the next stages, they may lose the ability to find their way. and lose routing. The purpose of this research is to investigate the effective factors in the perception of the elderly through the examination of cognitive maps. This article examines the behavioral and cognitive responses of the elderly in the Kahrizak nursing home using the "space arrangement method" in the framework of environmental behavior studies. This study shows adaptive and maladaptive behavioral responses to spatial configurations in relation to the elderly and their residential environment. The statistical population includes forty-five elderly residents of Kehrizak nursing home who have cognitive and motor skills. In the present study, the role of the spatial configuration of the environment and the resulting cognitive maps on the sociable behavior of the elderly was measured. In this research, two types of VGA and ISOVIST analysis were used in space layout. The results indicated that there is a significant relationship between the results of the spatial arrangement and the cognitive maps resulting from the perception of the space of the elderly, so it is possible to pay attention to some specific spaces or ignore some spaces in the cognitive maps due to the characteristics and physical structure of the complex architecture. Based on this, suggestions were made for the perceptibility of the space by the elderly.