The Gerontologist
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Nygren, C.
Right arrow Articles by Wahl, H.-W.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Nygren, C.
Right arrow Articles by Wahl, H.-W.
The Gerontologist 47:85-95 (2007)
© 2007 The Gerontological Society of America

Relationships Between Objective and Perceived Housing in Very Old Age

Carita Nygren, PhD1, Frank Oswald, PhD2, Susanne Iwarsson, PhD1, Agneta Fänge, PhD1, Judith Sixsmith, PhD4, Oliver Schilling, PhD2, Andrew Sixsmith, PhD5, Zsuzsa Széman, PhD6, Signe Tomsone, PhD(c)6 and Hans-Werner Wahl, PhD2

Correspondence: Address correspondence to Carita Nygren, Research Unit of Occupational Therapy, Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Winsløws vej 9B 5000, Odense C, Denmark. E-mail: cnygren{at}health.sdu.dk

Purpose: Our purpose in this study was to explore relationships between aspects of objective and perceived housing in five European samples of very old adults, as well as to investigate whether cross-national comparable patterns exist. Design and Methods: We utilized data from the first wave of the ENABLE–AGE Survey Study. The five national samples totalled 1,918 individuals aged 75 to 89 years. Objective assessments of the home environment covered the number of environmental barriers as well as the magnitude of accessibility problems (an aspect of person–environment fit). To assess perceptions of housing, we used instruments on usability, meaning of home, and housing satisfaction. We also assessed housing-related control.  Results: Overall, the results revealed that the magnitude of accessibility problems, rather than the number of physical environmental barriers, was associated with perceptions of activity-oriented aspects of housing. That is, very old people living in more accessible housing perceived their homes as more useful and meaningful in relation to their routines and everyday activities, and they were less dependent on external control in relation to their housing. The patterns of such relationships were similar in the five national samples. Implications: Objective and perceived aspects of housing have to be considered in order to understand the dynamics of aging in place, and the results can be used in practice contexts that target housing for senior citizens.

Key Words: Person–environment fit • Accessibility • Usability • Housing-related control beliefs




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 GerontologistHome page
S. Iwarsson, H.-W. Wahl, C. Nygren, F. Oswald, A. Sixsmith, J. Sixsmith, Z. Szeman, and S. Tomsone
Importance of the Home Environment for Healthy Aging: Conceptual and Methodological Background of the European ENABLE-AGE Project
Gerontologist, February 1, 2007; 47(1): 78 - 84.
[Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 GerontologistHome page
F. Oswald, H.-W. Wahl, O. Schilling, C. Nygren, A. Fange, A. Sixsmith, J. Sixsmith, Z. Szeman, S. Tomsone, and S. Iwarsson
Relationships Between Housing and Healthy Aging in Very Old Age
Gerontologist, February 1, 2007; 47(1): 96 - 107.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
All GSA journals Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences
Copyright © 2007 by The Gerontological Society of America.